Clutch a piece of history

A bag like no other

The bag that tops the list, the Hérmes Birkin, is famous for its two-year waiting list, its exorbitant price tag, and a must-have status that has been going strong since 1982 when the bag was created. The story goes that Hérmes’s chief executive Jean Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight and while the actress was struggling to fit all her belongings into a straw bag, she commented on how hard it was to find a leather bag that she really liked. A year later, Dumas, whose family started the luxury company, came up with the design for a black leather bag, which came to be called the Birkin. The bag is hand-stitched with different kinds of leather, depending on the design, and takes upto 48 hours to create - worth the price, we’d say!

Today, the bag is a status symbol like no other and despite a complete lack of the company’s insignia on its body it is still instantly recognisable. One of the most coveted bags on the planet, the square shaped leather bag is built to last and can probably be handed down from generation to generation! After the original in supple black leather, there have been countless variations in the market, but if you want to buy one, you need more than just a hefty cheque – there’s a waiting list!

So Lady-like

The story behind the Lady Dior bag is the closest we’ll get to a real life fairytale – after all, it involves a princess! Apparently, in 1995, France’s then First Lady Bernadette Chirac, gifted Lady Diana with the latest creation from the House of Dior. The Princess of Wales loved the bag so much that she ordered it in every colour and was often spotted carrying one at many public events. In memory of her, and her love for the bag, the design was renamed the Lady Dior.

The bag is a classic piece and to date is coveted for its ultimate lady-like look. With the classic half-moon shaped handles to be slung over the wrist, the shiny D-I-O-R letters in charms hanging from the strap and the classic box shape, the bag has achieved cult status in just a few years.

Today, another classic beauty Marion Cotillard is the face of Dior and she is designing her own version of the classic bag. If you want to hand down a little piece of fashion history to your granddaughters in the future, there isn’t a better piece to buy!

Chic forever

“Fashion changes, but style endures,” Coco Chanel stated once. And proof of that statement is the unending popularity of her classic 2.55 quilted leather bag. This classic leather flapbag is named after its birthday – February 1955 – when the design was invented by Coco Chanel herself. Inspiration for the design, she has famously claimed, came from her own life. The quilted stitching, the flap in front, the ‘mademoiselle’ lock, and even the tiny pocket behind the flap, where she claimed to store her love letters, are all based on intensely personal requirements. Her stamp on the design is apparent and clearly the impeccable styling is what has made it a staple for every classy lady to own!

The bag’s popular features like the chain handles woven with leather and the intertwined double C logo are in fact later additions made by Chanel’s head Karl Lagerfeld. To mark the 50th anniversary of the bag, in 2005, he also reissued the bag with the original design, so Chanel fans can now own both the adapted version as well as the ‘reissue’, as the bag is now referred to. While many versions of the bag, in different colours and materials, have hit stores since then, it’s the original flap bag in black calfskin (or ‘caviar’ leather) that is the ultimate symbol of classy chic.

Chanel famously said that she invented the bag so that it would keep her hands free – who could have predicted that a bag designed for such a simple convenience would acquire such an iconic status?

A classy classic

For lessons in beauty and elegance, one can easily turn to actress Audrey Hepburn, whose golden touch turned a fashion fad into a worldwide trend. The black Givenchy dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s set the tone for the Little Black Dress that is now a staple in every wardrobe and who can forget her oversized sunglasses and ballet flats. But Hepburn was quite a style icon offscreen as well and one of her preferences have become the must have bag for every woman with taste.

The brand originally started off as a manufacturer of expensive luggage and their foray into handbags was in 1930, when they designed the smaller, handy-sized Keepall. The material of the bag was embellished with the classic ‘LV’ logo and soon became synonymous with wealth and distinction. Legend has it that in 1965, Audrey Hepburn asked the brand to create a smaller version of the Keepall for her day to day use and it came to be called the Speedy. Hepburn was spotted with her favourite bag on numerous occasions and it soon came to be associated with the gorgeous star. Today, anyone looking to channel the Audrey Hepburn kind of elegance and charm knows that the Speedy will get them there faster!

More right than Knot!

The Knot is one of the most timeless creations from Italian brand Bottega Veneta. The rounded box clutch has been a popular accessory for ages for every event from red carpets to front rows and the lattice-worked petite accessory has been granted iconic status after it celebrated its popularity during its 30th anniversary in 2008.

The original Bottega clutch had the trademark woven body but it reached the peak of its popularity in 2001 when Tomas Maier took over as Creative Director. He replaced the crystal clasp with a metal closure in the shape of a leather knot and gave the clutch its name.

Today, there are countless variations of the Knot available, from satin to patent leather to ones with crystal embellishments or even crocodile leather. What really makes the Knot iconic is that despite a complete lack of branding, this clutch is instantly recognisable and its enduring popularity will certainly survive the test of time!

Original ‘It’ bag

The newest entrant to this list of classics is the Fendi Baguette. A relative baby on this list, the bag celebrated its 15th anniversary just last year. Shaped like the French bread it is named after, the bag is designed to be tucked under the arm – much like how the loaf usually is. With its tiny shape and the classic Fendi logo at the buckle, the bag was one of the first pieces to get the title of ‘It’ bag.

“Its not a bag, it’s a baguette!” are famous words uttered by Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) on the cult series ‘Sex And The City’, and these very words catapulted the Fendi baguette to fame. The series played a big part in promoting the bag and in no time it became a must-have – and not just for the season!

Today, the baguette comes in a thousand different styles, with myriads of materials, colours, embellishments and more, with even sets of limited editions that have become quite coveted.