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The bag: a complex accessory, with great facets
Always considered the essential accessory for every woman, the bag is undoubtedly the symbol of style par excellence, the status symbol that tells the personality of every woman, like a jewel.
The bag has a very long history full of curiosities: its evolution tells its value. Let’s get to know it better!
The history of the bag
Although it has always been considered a purely lady accessory, the bag was born instead as a male accessory. We already have evidence of the prehistoric age that highlight the creation of leather bags to transport food and utensils.
But it is with the spread of the coin and therefore with the need to contain it and carry it with you, that the first leather bags are born. It is no coincidence that the etymology of the word “bag” takes us to Ancient Greece where, with the term byrsa, leather was indicated.
The artisans, therefore, had begun to manufacture notebooks or leather purses to carry coins and small precious objects with them for their commercial exchanges. The convenience of these bags was such that the custom of spread and these were the first men’s bags in history.
In the twelfth century in Tuscany hides were worked and began to see the first more refined bags, made with the finest leathers such as goat, calf and suede: the scarselle, bags to carry hanging from the neck and belts, and saddlebags, travel bags that could also be positioned on the horse’s back.
Even in Venice, artisans begin to make bags to hold small travel items or goods.
In the Middle Ages, more comfortable and shoulder models began to spread, such as game bags and bandoliers, widespread especially among farmers who needed to keep their hands free to work.
But it is only since the Renaissance that bags begin to be considered mainly feminine and fashion-related accessories. Even the models become more elaborate and the materials used to make them are increasingly precious: in fact, in the 16th century, leathers are abandoned and the bag follows the tastes of the time, dressing up in velvets, fringes, brocades, bows and embroidery, ribbons and precious stones for the decorations.
Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the birth of the bourgeoisie and the increasingly accentuated desire for independence of women, the bag became a strong symbol of female emancipation , combined with utility as a professional accessory to be able to carry many necessary objects.
At the end of the nineteenth century the first shoulder bags, typical for walking, with chains or rigid handles appear. So the bag stops being just a habit or a professional accessory, and also becomes an object of common use, because women begin to travel more often: the bag accompanies the trunks and suitcases, which become more and more feminine, with finishes and most sought after details.
It is in this historical period that the bag definitively becomes a fashion accessory and, therefore, the care in the choice of fabrics and finishes, colors and shapes increases. But it was in the twentieth century that it became a symbolic accessory.
The affirmation of the bag as an essential element in the female outfit is thanks to Coco Chanel. It was 1926, when the iconic French designer not only introduced the little black dress to the world and made it immortal, but paired it with a bag, defining what the model of elegance was – and still is today.
After the Second World War, bags become real jewels to be worn by hand or over the shoulder. The icon of elegance in those years was the actress Grace Kelly: it was to her that, in 1956, the Hermés fashion house dedicated one of the most elegant and desired bags in the world, the Kelly, made famous by the famous film diva American.
In the 1970s, bags changed their function and shape again. Female emancipation makes women more and more independent and free to move outside the home for work and pleasure: the bag becomes roomy, large and functional, full of internal and external pockets, shoulder straps and handles. Every detail is designed to make life practical for the woman who will wear it, every day. The materials change, the leathers used become softer and more precious.
An accessory that should never be underestimated
Over the centuries, shapes, materials, styles have changed, but we can say that today the bag is a real style statement and women cannot do without it: not a simple container, but an integral part of the image of a woman.
Going out without a scholarship is unthinkable. In fact, the bag has always been considered the indispensable accessory for every woman, not only to contain the essential objects for everyday life – wallet, mobile phone, keys, make-up, handkerchiefs and much more – but also to keep up with fashion.
This accessory with an ancient history and male origins, today is a real female status symbol.
From the bag that a woman wears, you can understand her personality and the image she wants to give of herself. May it be maxi , mini , shoulder bag, or bag or clutch the bag reflects the style of the wearer. The woman chooses a bag to tell about herself to others, instilling self-esteem and confidence.
Every woman would go crazy to get the hottest bag of the moment, the collector’s item or, even more, the handcrafted bag made in a few unique pieces.