Bags: Inside out – Exhibition at the V&A, London
I finally managed to visit the V&A’s Bags: Inside Out exhibition last week after waiting for the various lockdown’s to come to an end.
I have to confess I have a particular interest in this exhibition (apart from the love of all things bag!) as I not only provided them with a wonderful Wilardy Lucite bag exhibit but also advised them on some of their other exhibits. I was also delighted to be asked to be one of the V&A Academy’s expert speakers for the course that ran alongside the exhibition called Bags: Past, Present and Future.
On to the exhibition! Well what can I say it was fantastic…not just for lovers of handbags and purses but for anyone with an interest in fashion, fashion history and accessories too. The exhibits span centuries proving that, whatever they have been called, handbags, purses, reticules have been relevant from the earliest of times. Don’t get me started on defending the relevance of handbags in history and in the world of antiques!
This exhibition really is for everybody to enjoy, whether history is your thing or whether you want to see the iconic handbags of the last few decades, the Hermes Birkin, Chanel or the Sex in the City Fendi baguette, there really is something for everyone. Notable highlights for me where the Wilardy Stardust Lucite bag (obviously), the frog shaped sweet bag dating from the 1600’s, the Lait de Coco bag by Karl Lagerfeld and so many more. My phone is now overloaded with pictures!! A small idea below but I won’t ruin it with too many images.
If you get the chance, I would absolutely recommend going. Lucia and Georgia who curated the exhibition have done a wonderful job and if I get the chance to go again before it closes in January 2022 I certainly will.
