The time is perfect for a short, smart purse book. The "good bag" has nudged out shoes, jeans, and jewelry as the must–have fashion possession. Despite price hikes –– $1,445 for a Prada bowler bag that once cost $940 –– the craze for high–end purses helps fuel the booming luxury–goods market and, via knock–offs, hugely influences the $6 billion–a–year mainstream handbag industry. But purse mania isn't just an outgrowth of a strong luxury–goods market –– human thoughts, feelings, and dreams are involved, too. As Nadia, a high–powered interior designer says, "My cell and my big Tod's purse –– that is my life." In IT'S IN THE BAG, noted journalist Winifred Gallagher explains it what means for a purse to be a life. This cultural history of the handbag borrows from psychology (Freud noted that sometimes a purse is a vagina –– which is perhaps why the first "handbags" were carried by men!), sociology (a purse as a "status symbol") and even economics (Why have prices gotten so steep?). Researched and erudite yet always fun, Winifred Gallagher offers in IT'S IN THE BAG a charming theory of modern identity as seen through one of our keenest obsessions.

Behold, the power of the purse! The must-have accessory for the fashion lover's desktop, Handbags delivers a year of showstopping clutches, hobos, totes, and satchels gorgeously photographed in full color. The beaded. The sequined. The fringed. The pleated. The antique. And the elegantly minimalist. Adapted from Anna Johnson's delightful bestseller Handbags. Ooh-la-la!

DIV“I find that it is vital to have at least one handbag for each of the ten types of social occasions.�—Miss Piggy /divDIVMost women would agree with Miss Piggy—and even those who didn’t would think one bag for all occasions isn’t really enough. Ever since the reticule came into style after the French Revolution, women have been attached to their handbags. And whether you’re a woman of leisure who wants a tiny bag to carry a lipstick, comb, and mirror or a working woman who needs a satchel to hold your cell phone, e-reader, laptop, water bottle, makeup, lunch, and whatever else you need in the course of a long day, you’re sure to be enchanted by the variety of bags featured in this lavishly illustrated book. A wonderful range of bags is presented--from Judith Leiber’s sculpted, crystal-studded metal “minaudières� to James Piatt’s “Peacekeeper� handbag with its knuckleduster handle, from Lulu Guinness’s red snakeskin “Lips� clutch to Hester van Eeghen’s elegant “Monocle� bag, from Kathleen Dustin’s exquisite “Rose Bud� wrist purse to Inés Figaredo’s retro “Telephone� shoulder bag.It’s a showcase gallery of 25 contemporary handbag designers, and it features over 100 artful creations.The crazy beautiful bags in this book provide perfect accents for every wardrobe./div

From casual totes to stylish clutches, this compilation offers an irresistible assortment of chic leather projects. The simplicity of the techniques adds to its appeal; even novices can easily make each bag. Photos of the purses in each phase of construction, plus images of the finished items, provide guidance on working with this supple and durable material. Discover a variety of ways to tool, brand, punch, cut, stitch, glue, and embellish leather, and see how to add hardware, such as clasps and latches. Anyone would proudly show off the fringed Cell Phone Bag, Suede Hip Purse, and Alligator Grain Cowhide Handbag. A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club.

Provides patterns and illustrated instructions for making, with a variety of stitching techniques, more than one hundred custom-designed carrying bags for nearly every purpose and occasion

Indulge your love of stylish handcrafted bags with this crafting guide featuring twelve easy-to-make sewing patterns for totes, handbags, and more! You can never have too many bags and this collection from Melly McNeice is the perfect inspiration to make a few more! SewCutetoCarryis packed with bag designs for all occasions—including totes, clutch bags and handbags, as well as more practical items like the ‘sleepover’ bag, back pack and ubiquitous nappy changing bag. All the patterns have step-by-step diagrams for easy piecing. There’s also a general techniques section explaining the tools and equipment you’ll need to get started.

"Chenoune, the editor of Carried Away, and Olivier Saillard, the curator of the accompanying exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Europe's leading fashion and design museum, have organized the unimaginable wealth of bags into several categories. The chapter discussing domestic bags explains the relationship of bags in the contemporary world to those of other cultures and antiquity. In the chapter exploring travelers' bags, the rich variety of this type is discussed, including messengers' bags, knapsacks, wineskins, nomads' sacks, bags for supplies, the 'auto' bag of the 1920s, the 'Gladstone' and the humble tote. Bags for professionals are also considered, including survey bags carried by postmen, plumbers, and other craftsmen, but also, medieval messengers' boxes, seamen's duffles, soldier's leather cartridge bags, and an overview of the design, leatherwork, and production of bags. The chapter devoted to bags as talismans celebrates the cross cultural, psychological, sexual, mythical, and shamanistic significance of bags ranging from Pre-Columbian ritual objects, to pilgrims' bags from the Middle Ages and Native American cosmogony bags. Carried Away surveys the surprising evolution of the useful commonplace bag into a high fashion totem, and suggests that, chameleon-like, the bag continues to change its form and adapt itself to new circumstances and uses." "The Illustrations are gathered from an equally wide variety of sources and media, including traditional fashion photography, decorative arts, painting, ethnographic collections, military museums, and private collections." --Book Jacket.