Today we mostly see women around us carry bags. In today’s world bags are a symbol of feminity but was this always the case? Today bags are used as a fashion statement. Some bags are large enough to fit your worldly possessions while some are so small that you could hardly carry a phone in them.
Earlier handbags were strictly a functional item but today it is more than that, it is more than thay . It is a huge part of culture as well as of the fashion world. The way you carry your purse, it’s style and design tells a lot about your personality, so carry them wisely.
But how did the handbags became a fashion must have, a cultural item and a part of everyone’s wardrobe? Has it always been carried in the same style? In today’s blog, You’ll find the answer to almost all of your questions so, let us just dive into the history of handbags.
The Birth of bags
If you think that bags were always a part of women’s closet and a symbol of femininity, then your are wrong. Originally bags were made for men, in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics we’ve seen men carrying little pouches tied around their waist and there are evidences like dog teeth covered purses that supports the statement that stone age men too carried bags and hence men have always giving a tough competition to women in terms of fashion as they knew how to carry their belongings in style.
Bags originally were made for men but then slowly women began to use them too. With change in time, the idea of men carrying bags totally shifted to women owning the style, but today again handbags are becoming a unisexual fashion item and why not? After all, everyone wants and deserves to carry necessities with them wherever they go. There are certain items that an individual cannot part with, these include items like just like our Mobile phones and plastic money and in today’s times a sanitizer as well. Thus, carrying bags is more than just a fashion item. In fact, it is now a necessity.
Till the 17th century there were no pockets in clothing items and due to that people carried handbags with them. Earlier bags were a part of status symbol and were used by gentlemen and aristocrats.
Though the history of handbags dates back to the stone age but the use of handbags by women is comparatively a newer and recent development in the long and ever changing history of handbags.
Bags for women
Much before the invention of handbags, women used to wear bags under their long and heavy gowns. For men, purses were a part of their garment whereas women’s bags were a completely separate item. They were tied around their waist, below their gowns and due to the heavy mesh and layers these bags were hard to notice. When noticed, these bags were considered vulgar by many people as these were worn close to the skin and were hence considered just like undergarments but despite this the trend continued till the time high-waisted gowns came into existence .
Introduction of high-waisted gowns made women ditch bulky purses under the gowns as now they were easier to notice under the gowns due to their slimmer silhouette and it was not something that was considered fashionable in earlier times and no fashion forward women would dare to wear these under bags below their high-waisted gowns and this minor change in the gown design at the end of the 18th century changed the game of bags completely. This was the fashion change that brought into existence the handbags that we use today.
With the end of one story of bags, a new story of Reticule bags was started. These bags were the size of today’s standard sling bags i.e. they were just large enough to fit a compact, lipstick, fan and a pack of fragrance. Women used to carry these bags with some of their most necessary item when they went out.
The arrival of modern Handbags
With the arrival of trains in the 19th century women started travelling more than ever and more travelling meant carrying more belongings. That is when people started referring big luggages as handbags and that’s when world-famous designers like Louis Vuitton joined the race of handbag making and are shining till date, a Louis Vuitton bag is almost every person’s dream but do you know that Louis Vuitton originally started its journey by making luggage bags.
Later with the discovery of new fabrics, printing methods, and rise in the working women population, the demand of handbags started rising day by day. Women started using large bags as they started becoming independent and now makeup was not the only essential that they needed to carry with them. The size of women handbags became much practical i.e. Larger, after second world war and that’s when large women bags truly came into existence.
Later in the 1960’s-70’s handbags started to become a fashion accessory ,the youth started experimenting with the bag designs, fabrics, embroidery, size etc. and that’s when people started matching bags with their clothes and their personality and still continues to be a trend. Women started to depict their empowerment and fierce nature by using handbags and slowly it became a completely feminine article.
With the end of 1970 the shoulder bags made a comeback in women’s life but now they were more advanced and practical as these bags had zips, pockets and much more, and these changes made carrying items easier for women who were willing to step out and make their identity in centuries old patriarchal societies.
Though handbags were used to store essentials and as a fashion accessory but they were much more than that, handbags played a crucial role in women empowerment as earlier men used to carry fans and items for their women but handbags made women carry their loads themselves. Later handbags started to be a part of women empowerment when women started working and started to carry all their essential items with them, ltems that were much more than just makeup.
Modern Handbags
Now handbags are made in every design, material and size you can imagine. With the end of centuries old debates of whether it is a feminist or masculine article, bags today are used by people of every gender and age. People carry them as backpacks, shoulder bags, sling bags and more. The evolution of handbags is still incomplete and it will possibly never be fully evolved. So, let’s just see where this evolution of bags takes us!
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