New handbag exhibit at MODA
What makes handbags so irresistible
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Handbags from around the world, as well as several on loan from metro Atlanta women, are on display at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). The exhibit shows how bags are made and the inspirations behind their design.
Jessica McGowan/Staff
Handbags from around the world, as well as several on loan from metro Atlanta women, are on display at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). The exhibit shows how bags are made and the inspirations behind their design.
Jessica McGowan/Staff
Jada Loveless created this ruby-red alligator skin ‘Baccus Tote’ for her friend Sandra Baccus.
A handbag is among a woman’s most important possessions.
It is a keeper of secrets, a protector of assets and, along with its contents, an object that can tell you exactly what makes a woman tick.
But though it is one of humanity’s oldest inventions, it is perhaps one of the least understood. Whether it is the latest designer “it” bag or a one-of-a-kind creation of unknown origin, how much does any woman really know about how her handbag came to be?
“People don’t understand how much work goes into making a bag,” said Clint Zeagler, founder of Atlanta-based Pecan Pie Couture.
“In the Bag,” a new exhibition and the first fashion installation at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), could help change that. Zeagler and co-curator Kevin Knaus, vice president of Global Fashion for Material Word, hope the exhibition will give viewers insight into the makings of this universal item.
“It really helps the viewer understand why someone would spend this much money on a bag or why a woman would want [a certain] kind of bag,” Zeagler said.
The basics of bags
The journey begins in the process gallery, where viewers are introduced to designer inspirations such as color trends and flowers. Displays feature sketches, examples of closures such as clasps and zippers, and textiles such as nylon, leather and cloth. A looped video shows viewers how alligator skin is thinned and cut to create handbags from exotic materials.
In a second gallery, handbags arranged on pedestals tell stories of their owners and offer tidbits of history. Zeagler and Knaus solicited bags from as far away as Hollywood and as nearby as the Atlanta History Center. A number of Atlantans also loaned their purses to the exhibition, along with their thoughts about each bag.
“Ever since I was a child I liked handbags,” said Aida Flamm, who loaned four bags, including two from fashion houses Chanel and Cartier. “The way I keep them [at home] is like works of art.”
Fellow purse lover Barbara S. Joiner, who loaned an iconic brown leather Hermés Birkin bag to the exhibition, said handbags can transform your look. “You can have on any clothing and if you carry the right bag, you look like a million dollars,” she said.
In addition to bags from major design houses, the exhibition features the work of several local designers.
Objects of desire
You can’t speak of a Birkin (the bag was created by Hermés for French actress Jane Birkin in 1984), without also a mention of the Baccus. Atlanta handbag designer Jada Loveless was inspired by friend and philanthropist Sandra Baccus to create the “Baccus Tote.” Loveless said the tote has become one of her most popular bags, including a ruby red alligator skin version on display.
At the other end of the handbag spectrum is a one-of-a-kind mint green minaudiere with crystal peace signs by Mary Norton for Moo Roo. The bag was a gift to Atlantan Dr. Nancy H. Gallups from Elton John during his 2004 Oscar party.
For sports fans, there is the embroidered straw handbag that Louise Richardson Allen, wife of late Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., carried to the first Atlanta Braves game in the city on April 12, 1966.
And for entertainment buffs, the Swarovski Crystal Eiffel Tower bag by Timmy Woods from the movie “Sex and the City” is on display. (It’s already caused one visitor to pause in teary-eyed reverence.)
The exhibition ends with an assemblage of about 40 handbags designed by current and past students of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah and the Domus Academy in Milan. Clutches, totes and shoulder bags in materials such as fox fur, calf-hair, snakeskin and vinyl give visitors a glimpse into the future of handbag design — and leave many asking the same question.
“They want to know how they can buy them,” Knaus said.
“IN THE BAG”
Through May 2 at the Museum of Design Atlanta, 285 Peachtree Center Ave. (in Marquis II Tower). $5. 404-979-6455; www.museumofdesign.org
