Bags
The Classic Collection
Published on 21. October 2025
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-78884-344-7 (ISBN)
Description
"... This volume is a perfect fit for mood boards, forward-looking conversations, and stories about the bags that have continued to drive style conversations for decades." - La Repubblica
Bags: The Classic Collection 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 Hermes 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; Hermes Birkin; Chanel Boy; Bottega Veneta Cassette; Jacquemus Chiquito; Balenciaga City Bag; Alexander McQueen Knuckle Clutch; Gucci Dyonysus; Stella McCartney Falabella; Prada Galleria; Louis Vuitton Graffiti Keepall Bag; Gucci Jackie; Hermes Kelly; Dior Lady; Celine Luggage Bag; Lulu Guinness Florist's Basket; Prada Nylon Vela Backpack; Chloe Paddington; Loewe Puzzle Bag; Dior Saddle; Louis Vuitton Speedy; Judith Leiber Handbags; Cupcake Bag; Launer Traviata
Bags: The Classic Collection 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 Hermes 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; Hermes Birkin; Chanel Boy; Bottega Veneta Cassette; Jacquemus Chiquito; Balenciaga City Bag; Alexander McQueen Knuckle Clutch; Gucci Dyonysus; Stella McCartney Falabella; Prada Galleria; Louis Vuitton Graffiti Keepall Bag; Gucci Jackie; Hermes Kelly; Dior Lady; Celine Luggage Bag; Lulu Guinness Florist's Basket; Prada Nylon Vela Backpack; Chloe Paddington; Loewe Puzzle Bag; Dior Saddle; Louis Vuitton Speedy; Judith Leiber Handbags; Cupcake Bag; Launer Traviata
Reviews / Votes
"Published by ACC Art Books, this volume guides the reader inside one of the most prestigious and exclusive fashion houses in the world. From its birth as a family business to its international rise, this in-depth account of Hermes and its iconic models, design techniques, and history-making collections is explored through archival materials and vintage advertising." - Vanity Fair Italia "A book for true aficionados, Bags: The Classic Collection (ACC Art Books) by Lucia Savi of the Design Museum in London, highlights 30 of the most iconic bags ever created. From the Hermes Kelly to the Chanel 2.55, from the Fendi Baguette to the Balenciaga Motorcycle, the book focuses on the bags dominating the current conversation, from the continued rise of the Baguette to the resurgence of the Motorcycle. This volume is a perfect fit for mood boards, forward-looking conversations, and stories about the bags that have continued to drive style conversations for decades." - La Repubblica "Published by ACC Art Books, a new volume by Lucia Savi, curator of the Design Museum in London, presents 30 of the world's most desirable handbag designs. A journey through luxury, fashion, and design, it brings together great icons of yesterday and today, also analyzed for their impact on the cultural landscape." - Vanity Fair ItaliaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Woodbridge
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 268 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
1162 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78884-344-7 (9781788843447)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
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).