Handbags and Shoes
Accessories as the commercial engine. The Birkin and the Kelly, the stiletto and the loafer, the logo bag, and the margins that keep the houses running.
Part of Fashion
12 moments in this segment.
- - Cartier Tank Watch. 1917. Louis Cartier designs the Tank watch, inspired by the rectangular silhouette of WWI Renault FT tanks. JFK wore one, Andy Warhol famously wore one. Still the most-imitated rectangular-watch design.
- - Go-Go Boots. André Courrèges's 1964 white mid-calf flat-heeled "moon boots." The defining footwear of the 1960s space-age aesthetic; worn with Quant's miniskirts to complete the youth-quake silhouette.
- - Lagerfeld's Chanel 2.55 Revival. Lagerfeld's 1983 revival of Chanel's 1955 quilted leather 2.55 handbag, interlocking-C clasp, chain strap. The defining luxury handbag of the 1990s-2010s; resale value exceeds new price.
- - Birkin Bag Created. 1984. Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas meets Jane Birkin on a flight; sketches a tote inspired by her overstuffed wicker basket. By 2025: the most-coveted handbag in the world; waiting lists of years; resale prices routinely $20,000-$200,000.
- - Nike Air Jordan 1. 1985. Nike Air Jordan 1, designed for rookie Michael Jordan. The first signature basketball-shoe line and first sneaker to cross over to street wear. By 2024: $5B+ annual revenue. Foundational to the modern sneaker economy.
- - Prada Black Nylon Backpack. 1985. Miuccia Prada's black nylon backpack, Pocone fabric repurposed from Italian military tents. Cost as much as a leather handbag; reframed nylon as luxury. The bag that turned Prada from a family leather-goods business into a global brand.
- - Fendi Baguette. 1997. Silvia Venturini Fendi designs the Baguette, small under-arm bag. Carrie Bradshaw makes it global in 2000 ("It's not a bag, it's a Baguette!"). The first "It bag" of the modern social-media-precursor era.
- - Louboutin Red Sole. 1992. Christian Louboutin paints the sole of a women's pump with red nail polish; becomes the brand's permanent signature. The red-sole trademark survived a 2018 EU court ruling. The defining luxury-shoe of the 2000s-2010s. The subject dates from 1992; this photograph was taken in 2006.
- - Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Sneakers. 2009. Kanye West x Louis Vuitton sneaker collaboration, the "Don," "Mr. Hudson," "Jasper." The first major designer-rapper sneaker collaboration; pre-figured Yeezy by six years.
- - CDG x Converse Heart Logo. 2009. Comme des Garçons PLAY x Converse, the heart-with-eyes logo Chuck Taylor. The longest-running luxury-sneaker collaboration; the first to mainstream the "high-fashion x mass-market sneaker" template.
- - McQueen Armadillo Boot. McQueen's S/S 2010 Armadillo boot, 12-inch carved-wood platform. Lady Gaga wore them in the "Bad Romance" video. Three pairs exist; one sold at auction 2015 for $295,000.
- - Jacquemus Mini Bag. 2018. Simon Porte Jacquemus's Le Chiquito mini bag, 5 cm wide. The "this is fashion now" Instagram bag of 2019. Jacquemus's lavender-field 2020 show + salt-flat 2024 show became fashion-Instagram canon.
