| 1. |  | Handbags: The Power of the Purse
The Bolide. The Plume. The Birkin--object of lust in Sex in the City. Celebrating the must-have accessory for the fashion conscious woman, Handbags is an obsessive, irresistible visual extravaganza, featuring over 900 full-color photographs of the most luxurious, witty, covetable, talismanic examples of the bagmaker's art and history.
The iconic Hermés Kelly bag, made from first stitch to last by a single craftsperson. Judith Leiber's whimsical minaudiFres, Moschino's smiley-face bag, Elsa Schiaparelli's surrealist "bird cage," and the ne plus ultra of fashionable purses--the Chanel bag, reinvented for a new generation by Karl Lagerfeld. There are novelty bags, evening bags, sculptural bags, and class acts. Practical leather pochettes to carry a life, and elegant little reticules for nothing more than a credit card and a lipstick. Profiles of famous bagmakers: Jamin Puech, Kate Spade, Carlos Falchi, and the poet of utility, Bonnie Cashin, with her visionary "Cashin Carry" bags for Coach. Plus the anonymous Florentine artisans whose specialist leather workshops sprouted up in the 14th century.
A labor of love written by Anna Johnson, author of Three Black Skirts, Handbags features over 900 bags from collections, museums, and designers around the world, most of them photographed in seductive full-color exclusively for the book. The perfectly matched complement to Shoes, Handbags is about fashion, about desire, about secrecy, craftsmanship, art, and imagination as well as about the changing roles of women--everything that's packed into every important bag. Includes timelines, fascinating captions, and the "It" bags--anyone for a Fendi baguette?
About the Author
Anna Johnson started her career at nineteen as a journalist with Stiletto magazine. She writes for Vogue Australia, Vogue UK, Condé Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and Elle. Currently she's dividing her time between Sydney and New York.
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| 2. |  | The Handbag: An Illustrated History
The handbag has never been more important in fashion than it is today. Whether Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or Chanel, the It bag of the season is a much-coveted designer item that indicates supreme style cachet—and for which the fashion-minded do not hesitate to spend. In this lush volume, filled with a range of rich historical and contemporary images, fashion authority Caroline Cox explores the history of this must-have accessory, beginning with its development in the nineteenth century with the reticule—essentially a pocket with a handle—to the slouchy, greatly oversized bags popular today. In six chapters, each devoted to a decade, Cox not only highlights the most noteworthy bags in fashion design, but looks at their evolution within the social context of the day. Featured bags include Vuitton's revolutionary Noe bag for the female traveler, Art Deco clutch bags molded in Bakelite, the Hermès Kelly bag endorsed by Princess Grace of Monaco in the 1950s, and the It bag of the moment, the Marc Jacobs Stam. This book is a fascinating history of handbag design examined within the context of changing society and women's roles in it. Filled with a collection of important handbags, diverse imagery, and a fun, informative text, this beautifully designed volume is a must-have for handbag aficionados and lovers of fashion alike.
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| 3. |  | Designer Style Handbags: Techniques and Projects for Unique, Fun, and Elegant Designs from Classic to Retro
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Adult-High School–With this title, teens can create a funky felt purse or make one from an old book, or decorate an old handbag. Haab reviews the types of fabrics, glues, linings, materials, and sewing techniques to consider for these projects. This same type of information, in simpler language and on a smaller scale, is provided in Haab's The Hip Handbag Book: 25 Easy-to-Make Totes, Purses, and Bags (Watson-Guptill, 2004). Designer Style focuses on more complex creations that require more steps and several specific tools and craft items. The many colorful photographs are of excellent quality. –Shannon Seglin, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |  | Making Handbags: Retro, Chic, Luxurious
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Ellen Goldstein-Lynch is the Chairperson of the Accessories Design Department of at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has been involved in the accessories field for over 25 years, serving as Public Relations Director for the Nati
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| 5. |  | Handbags and Homicide (A Haley Randolph Mystery)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Witty, smart, and always chic-to-die despite a less than glam checking account balance, Haley Randolph has it all--Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Coach, Burberry--and she'd kill for the newest Louis Vuitton handbag. It seems she's not the only one. When someone's passion for designer purses leads to murder, Haley goes shopping for a killer to clear her name... According to Haley Randolph, you can never have enough handbags. She has one for every occasion, but that doesn't mean she won't go to any lengths to get the latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her credit cards, and she's forced to work during the holiday season at Holt's--a mid-market department store that doesn't even stock designer labels much to her horror. Looking for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley abandons the sales floor and sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse of Holt's ultra-fab holiday promotion--a one-of-a-kind selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion victim. He's face-down in lingerie--stone-cold dead. According to the security tapes, Haley was the only person in the stockroom before, during, and after the murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last season's Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron, who heads up the store's loss prevention unit, to help her investigate the murder. In a race to clear her rep, Haley's knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.'s Garment District. Now, Haley must find a killer with impeccable fashion taste...and get her hands on that perfectly checkered Louis Vuitton bag before time runs out...
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| 6. |  | What's in the Queen's Handbag?: And Other Royal Secrets
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Take an insider's peak into some of the most closely guarded of royal secrets. As well as revealing the contents of the Queen's most treasured accessory, Fleet Street's finest get up close and personal on everything from the royal corgis to the Queen Mum's racing tips. From royal hauntings to below stairs shenanigans; from speeding fines to banqueting etiquette; from dietary dilemmas to festive protocol no stone is left unturned...
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| 7. |  | Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In a funny, whip-smart memoir sure to be a sensation among Vogue and W devotees, erstwhile hair and makeup artist Tonello (now a columnist for HuffingtonPost.com) chronicles a surprising (even to him!) trans-Atlantic move from Provincetown, R.I. to a city he'd fallen in love with on a short trip: Barcelona, where he knows no one and doesn't speak the language. Tonello's initial euphoria dissolves when his new job fails to materialize. To stay afloat, Tonello starts selling items on Ebay with startling results: his first, heart-racing success, a year-old $99 Polo scarf he sold for $430 to a Midwesterner ("I guess he really liked plaid") makes Tonello an instant believer in the resale capabilities of high-end luxury items. Thus his new trade, and his quest for the Birkin, the "it bag" of all time, famous for its impenetrable waiting list ("What do you mean the waiting list is closed? It's a waiting list. So I can't wait?"). After many failed attempts, Tonello plans a weekend drive to Madrid in search of the haute couture holy grail; the result is a both a hilarious raid on fashion's strongholds and a memoir that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and many others, will be delighted from beginning to end. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Huffington Post
"The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin."
See all Editorial Reviews
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| 8. |  | Making Leather Handbags and Other Stylish Accessories
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
For anyone who feels she can never have too many handbags, this book is for you. Crafters, sewers, and lovers of handbags and leather goods are invited to take a one-on-one course in handbag and accessory construction and design with this new Rockport title. Written by three accomplished professors from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, this book takes a fun approach to fashionable designs that are not only beautiful but also simple to create. Learn to construct fabulous handbags as well as other related accessories including cell phone cases, eyeglass cases, a belt and belt bag, wallets, an agenda book cover, and a cosmetic case. All projects are made from garment weight leathers and can be created on a typical home sewing machine. Numerous photos, step-by-step illustrations, and, best of all, insider?s tips for constructing these pieces and customizing the patterns to your own personal style are included.
About the Author
Ellen Goldstein-Lynch is the Chairperson of the Accessories Design Department of at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has been involved in the accessories field for over 25 years, serving as Public Relations Director for the Nati
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| 9. |  | Making Handbags . . . (9) |
| 10. |  | Handbag Chic: 200 Years of Designer Fashion
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This comprehensive new book celebrates over 550 top quality handbags by leading and unknown designers the world over, dating from 1759 to 2004, with detailed information to describe their outstanding qualities. These carefully selected handbags are arranged by their primary materials and chronologically within each chapter, for easy reference and interesting comparisons. Here fine leather, fabric, metal, beaded, skin, and plastic handbags from all over Europe, England, Canada, The United States, and Asia appear in over 600 beautiful color photographs. Examples appear from the design houses of Adele Handbags, Asprey, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonnie Cashin for Coach, Cartier, Chanel, Coblentz, Collins of Texas, deLillo, Elizabeth Arden, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Halston, Hermes, I. Miller, Joret, Judith Lieber, Keiselstein-Cort, Llewellen, Mandalian, Mark Cross, Marvel, Nettie Rosenstein, Patricia of Miami, Pierre Cardin, Raoul Calabro, Rialto, Roger Van S., Ronay, Rosenfeld, sydney love, Tiffany, Tropic, Tyrolean, Virginia Merrill, Viva, Whiting & Davis Co., Wilardy Original, Zandra Rhodes, and many more. An extensive Glossary, informative Resources section, Bibliography, and Index make this book friendly while instructional, securing an important place in the libraries of fashion historians, vintage clothing buffs, antique dealers, and accessories collectors alike.
About the Author
Desire Smith is a former high school English teacher in Philadelphia and currently a fashion historian and the author of several books about vintage clothing. She is a consultant for Alderfer Auction Company, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
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| 11. |  | Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
CatCopyII Covers the most prestigious labels for today's hottest fashion accessory *Handbag sales reached $5.34 billion in 2003 and are growing at 8 percent a year, according to Accessories Magazine
*Someone buys a woman's handbag on eBay every 30 seconds
*Follows Stephanie Pedersen's popular titles Shoes and Bra Handbags have surpassed shoes, jeans and jewelry as the statement-making accessory of choice. At the top end, hot labels like Marc Jacobs and Prada can fetch more than $1,000. Insanity? Yes, but the designs often prove irresistible, and author Stephanie Pedersen covers the biggest brands in the business--Bottega, Chanel, Chloe, Dior, Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci, Hermès and, of course, Marc Jacobs and Prada. Handbags also digs into the accessory's history, from the earliest animal-skin pouches to modern-day masterpieces, and features fascinating archival photographs, vintage advertisements and plenty of bags to die for!"
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| 12. |  | Hip Handbags: Creating & Embellishing 40 Great-Looking Bags
All the techniques for making a uniquely personal purse are right here. Forty projects offer a wide variety of fabulous choices, featuring great fabrics and design options, including novelty threads, raffia ribbon, straps made of jeweled necklaces and bracelets, beautiful yet easy embroidery, and more. Crafters who really want to start from scratch will find 25 simple sewing projects, all originating from seven basic patterns, ranging from a flat folding purse to an oval pocketbook made from iridescent ruched silk. Another 15 designs use plain store-bought bags as a canvas for creative embellishments, such as transforming a simple black clutch with elegant silk flowers, or turn a basic leather purse into something special with whimsical appliqué. An attractive gallery provides additional inspiration. A Main Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club. (8) |