Carried Away: All About Bags [Hardcover]

Farid Chenoune (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2005

The bag is one of the most universal and oldest objects invented by humankind. What began as a prosaic item for everyday use can now be a luxurious treasure that confers instant status. In this unique, lavishly illustrated volume, published to accompany the exhibition Le Cas du Sac, noted fashion historian Farid Chenoune and 24 experts present an unimaginable wealth of bags made for everyone from kings and celebrities to shamans and vagabonds.

This comprehensive book explores the bag as high-fashion totem; travelers' bags; bags for professionals; bags related to money and ceremony; and bags as talismans. The beautiful illustrations, including paintings, fashion photographs, and ethnographic and decorative objects, reveal the variety and importance of bags throughout time, from designer Philip Treacy's silk evening bag printed with Andy Warhol's signature Campbell Soup cans, to the pangu, the bags used by Bamum tribal kings of Western Africa for holding the sovereign's regalia. A co-publication with Hermès, the Parisian designer of luxurious bags and leather goods, Carried Away is sure to delight fashion enthusiasts and those interested in material culture from around the world. AUTHOR BIO: Farid Chenoune is a cultural and fashion historian. He teaches at the Institut Français de la mode and the Ecole national supérieure des arts décoratifs. He has written, among other works, A History of Men's Fashion; Beneath It All: A Century of French Lingerie, and a monograph on Jean-Paul Gaultier. He writes frequently for French Vogue.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"You have to be careful of the bag, it is so familiar yet so badly understood," writes Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès in the preface to this set of highlights from his family's collection of "bags": everything from purses to rucksacks from all eras and all corners of the globe, some made by the company that bears their name. A French 14th-century copper messenger box, an early 20th-century pakum bag from Cameroon, green plastic bags from Marks & Spencer, a 1995 Srebrenica refugee's tied bundle, Ultra Violet's Hermès black leather "Bolt" clutch dating from the 1930s—all are here, and discussed with an infectious mix of exuberance and seriousness that is uncommon for an exhibition catalogue such as this. The Paris Musée de la Mode show closes this month, but a mini-exhibit of "rare and unusual bags" will mark the opening of New York's Madison Avenue Hermès store on March 16. Even if one misses the gala, the plethora of short, variously authored chapters ("My Grandmother's Furoshikis," "A Few Wineskins and Bags on Olympus") framing 300 color (and 35 b&w) illustrations, provides more than enough glamour—and everyday carriage. (Apr. 4)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Vendome Press (February 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865651582
• ISBN-13: 978-0865651586
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surpasses my expectations, April 15, 2005

By 

Amy Hilliard (VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Carried Away: All About Bags (Hardcover)

There are reasons I like this book and reasons that I am disappointed. The reason that I am disappointed is that I thought that this book was going to have lots of pictures of purses from different eras. The reason I like this book is because it is more than just a book with pictures of purses. "Hmmmm..." you might be thinking. "Whatever does she mean?"

I love looking at bags in fashion magazines. I thought this book was going to be like that...only longer. Instead, it contains the history of bags, the relationship between bags and culture, the psychological meaning of different bags, and dare I say it, the philosophical perspective of bags. Lest you think I am being sarcastic, I really think the author Chenoune does a good job covering these issues in a tongue in cheek manner. "Carried Away" shows the bag as more than just a fashion trend. Although the book does show examples of the bag as woman's fashion accessory, such as the ubiquitous Hermes bag, the book is more of an art book.

"Carried Away" is divided into several sections. My favorite section is about purses in the movies. The author chose still pictures from certain movies. Then, Chenoune explains how the choice of the purse by the costume designer relates to the characters in the movie. Basically, what does the purse say about the psychology of the character and the mood in the scene? I also like the section that shows pictures of different bags and their uses in history, like the painter's bag.

I think for many people this is going to be a book that they pick up in the book store and browse, but not buy. However, I think that other people intested in the bag as an art form, a cultural indicator, or a historical benchmark will find this book interesting enough to read. Therefore, I would not recommend buying it sight unseen, but it is definitely worth a look.