In the late 1990s, the Fendi Baguette bag started a fashion frenzy.

Part of documenting fashion is acknowledging the desire and anxiety certain items induce. If ever there was an object designed to seduce us, it was the “It-bag.” As the original “It” girl, Clara Bow demonstrated at the beginning of the 20^th century, the quality of “It” is both absolute attraction and elusiveness. If that sounds like a euphemism for sex appeal, Sigmund Freud – in his work deciphering the language of dreams – considered handbags to represent female genitalia.

To most devotees, these expensive and easily recognizable designer signatures convey a right-time-right-place sense of status that is the source of their appeal. With that in mind, its hardly surprising that the lust for “It-bags” directly corresponds to periods of economic boom. The most recent era of handbag hots began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the average American women reportedly bought more than four statement piece purses annually.

Who could forget the impact of Sex And The City’s Carrie Bradshaw and her Fendi baguette? Recently reissued to coincide with the launch of a new book Fendi Baguette, the bag – available in over 1,000 versions – quickly started a fashion frenzy. According to the show’s star, Sarah Jessica Parker, Fendi was “the first important design house to loan us items,” and the introduction of the baguette allowed the fashion loving character to develop into the style icon she became. “It really opened the floodgates and influenced the storyline – especially Carrie’s habit of spending more money on fashion than her home.”

In 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of Monaco, carrying the Hermès Sac à dépêches bag to shield her pregnant belly made the “Kelly” bag hugely popular.

But this isn’t a recent phenomenon. In 1935 Hermès created a top-handled leather bag called a Sac à dépêches as part of their leather goods range. When Princess Grace wanted to cover her baby bump with her Hermès bag – these were the days when star’s pregnancies were not a career boosting media opportunity – the photos were splashed all over the world and made it onto the cover of Life magazine. Hermès quickly renamed it the Kelly bag, and it became hugely popular.

The “Birkin” bag was born when Hermès chief executive was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London, he watched as her straw basket overturned spilling its contents onto the floor.

Another Hermès design, the Haut à Courroies was created for free-spirited Jane Birkin. Known for toting a straw basket because she was unable to find a weekend bag large enough to suit her needs. The “Birkin” subsequently became and remains one of the most desirable and widely recognized handbags in the world.

She can’t have heard the “It-bag” trend is over… Victoria Beckham is said to own 100 Hermès Birkin bags thought to be worth more than $2 million.

By 2008 the “It Bag” was no longer in fashion. While there will always be some who can afford bags known eponymously – Birkin, Paddington, Motorcycle and the Alexa  – the rest of us know that the real beauty of fashion is mysterious and deeply personal, our accessory’s determining us individuals rather than part of the crowd.

In 2007 Actress Angelina Jolie, and her daughter Zahara were photographed carrying matching Valentino purses – was this image responsible for the end of the “It-bag” trend?

Want to catch up on some more fashion history?

Now & Then: The History of Flared Pants

Now & Then: The History of the Ballet Flat

Now & Then: The History of Shorts

Now & Then: Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses

Now & Then: The History of the Breton Shirt

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Read more Now & Then articles here.

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Not so straight laced: Whether you decide to vamp it up in black lace or play modest in white, different colored lace can symbolize either sophistication or naïveté.

One thing you can be certain of this coming wedding season, is that the bride will be wearing lace. If last year’s royal wedding wasn’t enough inspiration, the white-hot trend for lace in ready-to-wear means the delicate openwork fabric is the summer’s signature detail.

The mysterious stranger in black lace.

Soft and feminine, lace – the word itself derived from the Latin laqueus, meaning loop or noose – is never far from the surface of women’s fashions. Lace production first boomed in Europe during the 1700s. Handcrafted needle-made lace was not only a labor-intensive effort, but also involved high amounts of personal skill. Worn as a sign of prestige and wealth, it was among the most valued of a household’s possessions. Some periods of history since then have been more lace obsessed than others, but the strong feeling for it this time around speaks to our growing desire for heritage styles with long-lasting heirloom qualities.

Lace-loving royal brides: Britain’s Duchess Catherine and Monaco’s Princess Grace dazzled in white-on-white bespoke lace.

Beyond expressing itself precious, lace is unique for its ability to embrace the betwixt and between, to narrate an ambiguous sense of femininity that is best told as a story where opposites are free to meet. Can you think of another fabric that encompasses two such opposite ends of the spectrum as readily as lace does? Both traditional and modern, demure and sexy, girlish and womanly, it’s no wonder it’s so popular with royal brides, Madonna and Italian designers, Dolce & Gabbana.

Madonna in her “Like A Virgin” punk phase was shocking in 1984 in a not-so-virginal white lace.

Chantilly, eyelet, guipure, laser cut, appliquéd on canvas or crocheted on cotton, lace in all its many forms was spotted on many designer’s spring/summer runways. Available in white, black, red, lavender and lemon, the variations and connotations possible were as endless as they were easy.

Free spirited Jane Birkin out on the town with Serge Gainsbourg, wearing a low cut white lace dress.

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Paisley Print

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of the Trench Coat

Now & Then: The History of the Bold Brow

Now & Then: The History of the Cuff

Now & Then: The History of Turtlenecks

Now & Then: The History of Tights

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Now & Then: The History of the Chevron Stripe

Now & Then: The History of Penny Loafers

Now & Then: The History of Go-Go Boots

Now & Then: The History of the Poet Blouse

The post Now & Then: The History of Lace appeared first on EcoSalon.

Designed to suit the needs of a soldier on the battlefield, the trench coat has evolved into a staple for stylish civilians.

The trench coat. No other item of outerwear embodies the understated yet self-assured vibe of our Parisian style fantasies. Can you imagine Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Hardy or Jane Birkin strolling around the 4th arrondissement in anything else?

But like Birkin, the trench coat isn’t actually French – it’s a British invention. Thomas Burberry, a former draper’s apprentice, developed gabardine – a rugged, water-resistant twill – in Basingstoke, Hampshire in 1880. After submitting a design for an army officer’s raincoat to England’s War Office in 1901, he was commissioned to create a gabardine coat for the British Army’s officers serving in the Boer War in South Africa.

Françoise Hardy epitomizing Parisian style in her trench – chic, understated and elegant.

By World War I, Burberry’s design had been perfected. Shoulder epaulets allowed officers to attach rank insignia without damaging their coats. Button down storm flaps prevented water seeping down into the soldier’s coats after firing their rifles and a D-ring was attached to the the belt in order to carry a firearm or sword. Worn by half a million British troops while fighting at the front, the name “trench” stuck. The tried-and-tested military design elements remain unchanged to this day.

The mannish allure of Catherine Deneuve’s trench underscores the femininity of the outfit beneath.

Used again by soldiers fighting in the harsh European winter battlefields of World War II, the style was adopted by Hollywood celebrities and volunteer entertainers performing for the troops overseas. Demobilized, the coat quickly became synonymous with every 1940s film noir protagonist and his beautiful, but conniving femme fatale.

Emma Watson is the modern day face of Burberry’s best-selling trench.

Remaining the company’s best-selling item to this day, Burberry celebrated the 97-year-old fashion icon by launching Art of the Trench, a photo-sharing website described as “a living document of the trench coat and the people who wear it.” Featuring dedicated images, past and present, of people sporting the Burberry trench coat, the Art of the Trench showcases images from professional fashion photographers including celebrated fashion photo-blogger Scott Schuman, better known as The Sartorialist.

With its ability to transform its wearer into either sultry Raymond Chandler heroine or insouciant Parisienne, this lightweight cotton coat might well be the perfect pick for the new season after we put away our heavy winter coats.

Jackie O knows – the trench coat is a timeless classic that’s worth the splurge.

Also Check out:

Now & Then: The History Of The Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The Bold Brow

Now & Then: The History of the Cuff

Now & Then: The History of Turtlenecks

Now & Then: The History of Tights

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Now & Then: The History of the Chevron Stripe

Now & Then: The History of Penny Loafers

Now & Then: The History of Go-Go Boots

Now & Then: The History of the Poet Blouse

Now & Then: The History of Ladylike Gloves

The post Now & Then: The History of the Trench Coat appeared first on EcoSalon.

Alberta Ferretti and Emma Watson collaborate on a five-piece capsule collection.

Last year EcoSalon reported on the Emma Watson/Alberta Ferretti design collaboration. French actress and singer Jane Birkin was the celebrated inspiration; Ferretii has said that Watson came to the table with a definite Birkin-circa-seventies image in mind. Calling the collection Pure Threads, the duo have produced the five-piece capsule collection in Italy from cotton poplin, cotton muslin, and hemp. Pure Threads will be available beginning March 21, available exclusively on AlbertaFerretti.com.

With the collection name finally out in the wild as well as the launch date, the two hope their Birkin-inspired line will elevate sustainable to a more fashion-forward level.

Watson tells WWD: “I’m pleased that a luxury brand such as Alberta Ferretti has decided to create ecological clothes. I believe this is a big step forward for all of the international fashion industry, but also an important step for an increased sensitivity to the problem of ecology,” not to mention pushing seventies sexy to a more mature consumer than her People Tree line, which catered to a much younger audience.

InStyle has reported that prices will range from $345, to $1,173, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to People Tree, the nonprofit fair-trade organic fashion organization Watson supports and still designs for.

Image via Ecouterre

The post Watson & Ferretti Up the Ante on Conscious Luxe appeared first on EcoSalon.

One can only guess why prolific designer Alberta Ferretti is collaborating with young actress/designer Emma Watson to create a Jane Birkin inspired organic collection. Watson – young, beautiful and ready to launch her last Harry Potter flick started her own designer career around the same age as Ferretti and made her mark in fashion first as the face of Burberry then with her own sustainable line for People Tree and now in a collaboration with the ever growing house of Ferretti, inquiring minds want to know if it’s synergy or opportunity? After all, why not crack an egg while the pan is hot?

While French actress/singer Birkin fits into this dynamic puzzle as inspiration for both Ferretti and Watson, the two hope their Birkin inspired line will channel sustainable to a more fashion forward level. The name of the line while yet to be announced will be 1960s sexy and undoubtedly more approachable by mature, stylish women.

Birkin has inspired before with Hermès naming and designing the Birkin bag for her in 1984. The story is a lot more romantic than the current collaboration when Birkin, on an Air France flight from Paris to London, said she “Pulled her Hermes datebook out of her bag and all her papers fell on the floor. She complained to the passenger sitting next to her that the book should have pockets. That passenger was the chairman of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas, and after hearing her complain he created the Birkin bag.”

Cue Jane Birkin’s “Je t’aime…moi non plus.”

According to Us Weekly and New York Magazine, Watson said that Ferretti approached her about the project after her People Tree line came out.

“She wrote to me and said, ‘I saw what you did with People Tree and I think it’s a great idea and will you do something with me?'” Us Weekly reports Watson as saying.

“I will put it out there that I will work for anyone for free if they are prepared to make their clothing fair trade organic,” says Watson.

Image: Google Images

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