Who can forget pleasing, graceful, classic, shapely, intriguing personality from Bollywood movie ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’- Bagwati!. Farhan Akhtar even cohosted Zee Cine Awards with her at Macau in early 2012. Ms Bagwati is a classic Hermes Kelly bag named after famous Hollywood actress ‘Grace Kelly’ . The star used the bag to hide her pregnant belly from the paparazzi and the bag become so associated with the actress that Hermes named it in her honor. These bags are produced in limited quantity by craftsmen in Paris every year and can only be ordered from a Hermes store. It is said that there is a one year waiting period before you get them delivered. The bag is big enough for a mother yet courtly enough for a member of royalty and not even affordable without that kind of ‘Royalty’.
Purses, pouches, or bags have been used since humans have needed to carry precious items. We can see ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs showing men wearing purses around the waist. The railway revolution of 1843 turned bags into luggage or handheld bags style. Both Parisian brands Hermes and Louis Vuitton emerged as luggagemakers then. In 1896 the Louis Vuitton monogram canvas was introduced and is the brand’s most recognized symbol to this day. By 1930s, most of the bags used today had been invented, including the classic handbag which had handles and a clasp frame, the clutch, the satchel, and the shoulder bag. The Chanel 2.55, so named because it was released in February 1955, was the first popular shoulder bag. Coco Chanel first made these quilted bags with long gilt chains in jersey and then switched to leather visualizing the demand for luxury.
One cannot miss the splendid charisma of clutches held by hollywood and Bollywood celebrities during Red Carpet events. Sometimes, I barely even notice what the other person is wearing and get distracted by loveliness of their accessories. Recently I was very impressed by the choice of Black retro clutch carried by a friend Preeti Nigam Munjal from Andover. The bag is a necessary accessory and I feel someone so important that it helps and supports me all the time and always stay close to me. So I would love to call it ‘Mon amie Bagwati’ (in French), or ‘My friend Bagwati’. Bags are very personal, they hold the things you need for the day and the things you want to have just for comfort. Market is full of sophisticated, timeless, simply brilliant designs and brands to chose from and I think it is really wise to invest in a good quality one, and also New Englanders must stay away from famous closeby fake destinations (as I have heard) like Canal Street in NewYork. My accessory designer friend Deepashri once told me that fake designer bags do not have quality stitches and fine hardware and not even a proportionate well placed gusset which is what makes all the difference so you cannot compare an authentic designer bag with a fake one.
Before I got an introduction of Coach, Chanel, LV or Burberry, I liked an Indian brand ‘Da Milano’ and used to visit their Connaught place based showroom in New Delhi to check their collections and buy’em. They were expensive for someone in early 20’s yet the quality of craftsmanship and variety of styles never disappointed me and I remained their loyal customer for a longtime. Their styles were functional and fashionable at the same time. At Wills India Fashion Week 2012 a newly emerged handcrafted leather accessories designer label ‘SRZ Studios’ introduced ‘asusual unusual’ a unique handbag and luggage collection made with 100% biodegradable vegetable dyed leather inspired by grandparents wardrobe and made with retro style for both men and women. One can buy them at Taj Hotel boutiques in India.
The bag that one carries add a lot of personality to your outfit. One can try wearing a white basic blouse with blue jeans and carry it with red leather envelope style bag, alternatively try a Vera Bradley quilted shoulder bag also. You can easily see the difference. Also, there is no rule that the bag color or texture has to match your shoes. If you care, bags are also a status symbol.
Now what I am thinking of is a bag which can carry my IPad, wallet, cellphone, some makeup and yet look sleek, very stylish and be luxuriously branded.
Fashion Quote for July 2012: “When I first moved to New York I bought VOGUE instead of dinner. I just felt, it fed me more.”
-Carrie Bradshaw
