The pursuit of It
Posted on 16 January 2009
I've been busy being lost in the clouds and looking for inspiration for Mischa's new It bag. And I don't mean it in the 'It bag of the season', chunky MJ quilted, logos everywhere, padlock that weighs a ton screaming last last season kind of way, of course. I hate to use the cliche, but it's the only phrase I could find to embody that je ne sais quoi that makes a handbag iconic. I mean enduring style and elegance. More than just a container for your things, a great bag, when carried by a great lady, has class. Grace Kelly is the most famous and still the most elegant example of this. When she was featured on the cover of Life Magazine in 1956, shielding her pregnant belly with her Hermes Birkin, her demure gesture launched a collective fantasy: that a bag could transform you from commoner to princess. A great bag promises so much!
Gone are the days of sensibly owning one classic bag, an heirloom that could be passed along, not every woman is content with just one good bag now. We obsess over the newest It bag, the weekend tote, the work bag, the work-out bag, the travel bag, the beach bag, the funky bag, and the, or like me, many sexy evening bags.
And so starts the journey for my It bag design. I trawled shops, magazines, movies, old photos and fashion encyclopedia. What element(s) do the It bags past and present, possess and share, what gives them enduring appeal? My search continues...X