An unmissable celebration of the most iconic and influential handbags in history, offering a visual journey through the aesthetic of each bag.

Bags: The Essentials is an unmissable celebration of the most iconic and influential handbags in history.

Featuring 30 of the world’s most desirable models, this supremely elegant volume takes you on a journey through luxury, fashion and design, exploring the aesthetic world of each featured bag through stunning photos and revealing design stories. Each of the featured handbags has transcended the functional and even the fashionable to become a bona fide status symbol in its own right. From the Hermès Kelly to the Fendi Baguette, the Chanel 2.55 to the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag, each is defined by a unique vision, and each has impacted the cultural landscape in its own special way.

Written by Lucia Savi of London’s Design Museum, this is a luxuriously illustrated guide to the historical contexts and aesthetic philosophies that make each of these handbags utterly timeless.

The bags: Chanel 2.55; Mulberry Alexa; Givenchy Antigona; Anya Hindmarch I’m NOT A Plastic Bag; Roberta di Camerino Bagonghi Bag; Fendi Baguette; Gucci Bamboo; Issey Miyake Bao Bao; Hermès Birkin; Chanel Boy; Bottega Veneta Cassette; Jacquemus Chiquito; Balenciaga City Bag; Alexander McQueen Knuckle Clutch; Gucci Dionysus; Stella McCartney Falabella; Prada Galleria; Louis Vuitton Graffiti Keepall Bag; Gucci Jackie; Hermès Kelly; Dior Lady; Céline Luggage Bag; Lulu Guinness Florist's Basket; Prada Nylon Vela Backpack; Chloé Paddington; Loewe Puzzle Bag; Dior Saddle; Louis Vuitton Speedy; Judith Leiber Handbags; Cupcake Bag; Launer Traviata.

Lucia Savi is Head of Curatorial and Interpretation at the Design Museum, London. She curated the V&A exhibition Bags: Inside Out (2020) and authored its accompanying publication. She has contributed to many fashion and design exhibitions and their catalogues including Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 - Today (2022), Shoes: Pleasure and Pain (2015) and The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 - 2014 (2014).