THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM REVEALS ‘BAGS: INSIDE OUT’

From rucksacks to vanity cases, from Birkin bags to Louis Vuitton luggage, Bags: Inside Out explores the style, function, design, and craftsmanship of the ultimate accessory. Running through Sept. 2021, the V&A Museum’s first post-lockdown show, in fact, is dedicated to statement handbags that have left a sign throughout the decades. Curated by Lucia Savi, the exhibition explores the longstanding fascination with this unique accessory, from tiny purses held on a fingertip to luxurious travel trunks. Sifting through the museum’s archives, Savi selected about 300 styles, including a red despatch bag that belonged to Winston Churchill, a Mulberry Bayswater from Kate Moss’ private collection, Margaret Thatcher’s signature Launer tote, the original Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin, an embroidered style dated 1558 and Carrie’s Baguette in “Sex and the City,” which ignited the “It” bag phenomenon in the late Nineties. Fast forwarding to more recent times, the spotlight shines on Off-White’s backpack, quirky designs by Turkish label Manu Atelier and the Stella McCartney x Parley for the Oceans version of the Falabella. Based on the idea that a bag projects a bold statement to the outside world whilst concealing our most treasured, personal belongings, the exhibit is divided in two parts. The first examines bags as practical objects designed to hold our belongings – from holiday outfits to confidential documents, from make-up to money and even gas masks. The rare pieces in this arena include a large, embroidered burse used to protect Elizabeth I's Great Seal of England, a gas mask bag owned by HRH Queen Mary during World War II, and Vivien Leigh's attaché case. Titled Status and Identity, the second section analyzes the key role of the bag in celebrity culture as well as its inspiring notoriety amongst the political and societal elite. Among them are a Hermès 'Kelly' named in honor of Grace Kelly, a 'Lady Dior' handbag named after Princess Diana, a gold Louis Vuitton 'Monogram Miroir' Speedy bag by Marc Jacobs and popularized by Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, the Chanel 2.55 hallmark and the first-ever made Hermès Birkin bag, owned by Jane Birkin.