DEleven years ago, French sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann turned a study about women and their handbags into the book The Private Handbag (UVK Verlag). We’re talking about what women carried back then, why they didn’t like people looking at their bags, and why female politicians are so rarely seen with bags. (Too obviously feminine, as Kaufmann said in an interview with our Sunday newspaper in 2012.)
Today, young people increasingly carry handbags with them – and not only jute ones, but sometimes even Chanel ones. Many luxury companies continue to post such good numbers because interest in bags shows no signs of slowing down.
In real life, more and more of what should be in your bag is no longer necessary. Actually, when leaving the apartment, it will be enough to hang your cell phone on a lanyard over your shoulder and put the key in your jacket pocket. For everything else, there’s Apple Pay and Google Maps. Instead, bags are still being developed, factories are still opening, and bags are still being sold. The handbag was and remains a private matter, protected by space.
The new models we show on this page are small stately buildings of various geometric shapes. For example, Prada, Marni and Bottega Veneta have triangular or ball-shaped bags, as does Bottega Veneta. Dior already has an ellipse ready-made, and Ralph Lauren named his new rectangle after the brand’s actual East Coast palace at 888 Madison Avenue in New York.
These leather architectural masterpieces are as space-optimized as a new building. It won’t fit much, but there’s not much to carry around either. Studying his handbag eleven years ago, when some people still carried city maps and cameras, Jean-Claude Kaufmann came to an interesting conclusion: the older the owner, the lighter the bag.
His explanation: In retirement, you rarely have to spend money on children or work. At the same time, many people kept themselves in better physical shape than their ancestors so that they could enjoy their retirement. It seems as if old men with light baggage have once again become trendsetters.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for over 7 years, starting out as a reporter and then moving on to being a media buyer and producer. I now work as an author at the World Herald News, where I cover all things entertainment. I’m passionate about finding the latest news and trends in this field, and I love writing stories that help my readers get a better understanding of what’s going on.
