In this sumptuous full-color compendium, award-winning designer Monica Botkier celebrates seventy of the most coveted bags of the past seventy-five years, from Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermès, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and other international couture houses, as well as top bag designers such as Anya Hindmarch and Nancy Gonzalez.

Exquisitely crafted luxury handbags are an obsession. The look, the feel of soft leather, that new bag smell that induces a swoon—a gorgeous handbag does more than complete a look, it telegraphs taste and chic, and it inspires envy, whether it’s an Hermès Birkin, a quilted Chanel Boy bag with its signature gold chain, or a Céline Mini Luggage Tote. Award-winning handbag designer Monica Botkier pays homage to these gorgeous objects of desire and the top couture houses and artists that have designed and produced them from the end of World War II to today.

Handbags: A Love Story showcases the creations of designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Céline, Chanel, Chloé, Christian Dior, Mark Cross, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy, Goyard, Gucci, Hermès, Anya Hindmarch, Judith Leiber, Olympia Le-Tan, Loewe, Mansur Gavriel, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Moschino, Mulberry, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Roger Vivier, Louis Vuitton, and more. This magnificent, eye-catching anthology tells the story of seventy bags in 200 stunning photographs and vintage and contemporary advertisements and illustrations, as well as quotes, anecdotes, and interviews with designers, stylists, and editors.

Each entry offers a concise yet in-depth look at a specific bag and its history—from a celebrity muse, such as Jane Birkin, to collaborations such as the graffiti-splattered bags Marc Jacobs and Stephen Sprouse created for Louis Vuitton. An informative, entertaining exploration of how “It Bags” have influenced fashion, culture, and feminine identity, Handbags: A Love Story touches on a wide-range of subjects, such as how a bag is constructed and handbags on the silver screen.

With an elegant full-color silkscreened cloth case and a thick acetate four-color jacket; two long, wide satin markers, and two-color endpapers, this gorgeous tribute is an essential accessory for handbag fanatics, fashion lovers, and pop culture enthusiasts.

Monica Botkier

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