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NARGIS MAGAZINE
Fashion

BagIconic

Some bags shine for a season, and some bags stay in fashion for decades. Fashionistas around the world are hunting them down despite the ever-growing price tag. Artist Minakhanim Salimova illustrated eight iconic bags every fashion adept is proud to gave in the wardrobe.

The Gucci Jackie was launched named Constance in the 1950s but was renamed after its number one fan Jackie Kennedy in 1961. The bag became a Gucci staple for decades and was reintroduced by Tom Ford in 1999. Ten years later, Frida Giannini presented the bag with a modern twist, and in the 2020s, Alessandro Michele made an addition to the Jackie collection with the miniature version of the recognisable shape, turning it into the modern yet iconic piece.

The popularity of the Speedy bag has bloomed thanks to a movie star. Although created in the 1930s as the Express bag, it became famous thanks to Audrey Hepburn, a devoted fan of Louis Vuitton leather accessories. In fact, it was Hepburn who asked the brand for a more compact version of the bag than were available at the time. Thanks to the star of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, fashion followers now have the Speedy 25, the elegant companion for city life.

The curved design of the Cleo bag by Prada became even more on-trend with the current rise of interest to the 1990s. The IT bag of our days has rounded construction that gives the hobo design a soft and light look. The compact bag emblazoned with the triangle logo is the Instagram star of the 2020s. Though the bag has not been named after an influencer yet, it is maybe because too many famous people wear it at the moment.

A symbol of Dior, the bag was initially named Chouchou or ‘favourite’ in French, when it was launched in 1994. But the real story started a year later when it became the favourite piece of Princess Diana, who ordered the bag in various colours. The architectural piece with iconic Cannage motif, rounded handles, and D.i.o.r charms, was renamed Lady Dior, and a new bag icon was born. The bag has been reinterpreted numerously in about 30 years to guaranty on-trend style.

The royal silhouette created in the 1930s received its name and international fame in the late 1950s when a movie star turned Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly was photographed with the trapezoid shaped bag to hide the early signs of pregnancy from curious glances. Today, Kelly bag is one of the hardest to come by bags, as the waiting list may stretch for over a year.

The star of the 2000s, the Motorcycle bag designed by Nicolas Ghesqui re is still one of the hits of Balenciaga. The iconic IT bag of every 2000s celebrity was produced in all sizes and hues and was described by the designer as “a new fresh thing, but it looked like an old, good, friendly thing.” One of the first celebrities who befriended the slouchy moto bag was Kate Moss, who fell for it at a fitting and requested one for herself. Since 2001 the bag became the fresh cult, and in 2020 the current artistic director of the brand Demna Gvasalia released an updated version called the Neo Classic with a more contemporary feel.

Sex and the City TV series have recently come back on screen, but the baguette bag put on the map by Carrie Bradshaw was with us for all these years. The legendary bag was developed in 1997, becoming the very first IT bag that has been sold more than a million times. Now it has over 1000 different iterations. Despite this, the vintage Baguette is even more popular today as they are full of character.