17 used & new from $44.95
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Handbag Chic: 200 Years of Designer Fashion
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
I own the rights to this title and would like to make it available again through Amazon.
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Handbag Chic: 200 Years of Designer Fashion (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


7 new from $44.98 10 used from $44.95

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Earn 5% CashBack with PayPhrase. Use PayPhrase for express checkout and earn up to $250 CashBack. Get started by choosing your PayPhrase. Limited time offer, restrictions apply. Learn more.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Handbags: The Power of the Purse

Handbags: The Power of the Purse

by Anna Johnson
4.6 out of 5 stars (22)  $10.04
The Handbag: An Illustrated History

The Handbag: An Illustrated History

by Caroline Cox
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  $29.05
Mad About Bags

Mad About Bags

by Emma Bowd
3.0 out of 5 stars (5) 
Carried Away: All About Bags

Carried Away: All About Bags

by Farid Chenoune
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $54.75
Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know

Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know

by Stephanie Pedersen
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  $10.39
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This comprehensive new book celebrates over 550 top quality handbags by leading and unknown designers the world over, dating from 1759 to 2004, with detailed information to describe their outstanding qualities. These carefully selected handbags are arranged by their primary materials and chronologically within each chapter, for easy reference and interesting comparisons. Here fine leather, fabric, metal, beaded, skin, and plastic handbags from all over Europe, England, Canada, The United States, and Asia appear in over 600 beautiful color photographs. Examples appear from the design houses of Adele Handbags, Asprey, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonnie Cashin for Coach, Cartier, Chanel, Coblentz, Collins of Texas, deLillo, Elizabeth Arden, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Halston, Hermes, I. Miller, Joret, Judith Lieber, Keiselstein-Cort, Llewellen, Mandalian, Mark Cross, Marvel, Nettie Rosenstein, Patricia of Miami, Pierre Cardin, Raoul Calabro, Rialto, Roger Van S., Ronay, Rosenfeld, sydney love, Tiffany, Tropic, Tyrolean, Virginia Merrill, Viva, Whiting & Davis Co., Wilardy Original, Zandra Rhodes, and many more. An extensive Glossary, informative Resources section, Bibliography, and Index make this book friendly while instructional, securing an important place in the libraries of fashion historians, vintage clothing buffs, antique dealers, and accessories collectors alike.


About the Author

Desire Smith is a former high school English teacher in Philadelphia and currently a fashion historian and the author of several books about vintage clothing. She is a consultant for Alderfer Auction Company, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (September 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0764323148
  • ISBN-13: 978-0764323140
  • Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,294,716 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Desire Smith
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Desire Smith Page

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Handbag Chic: 200 Years of Designer Fashion
26% buy the item featured on this page:
Handbag Chic: 200 Years of Designer Fashion 4.0 out of 5 stars (10)
Handbags: The Power of the Purse
24% buy
Handbags: The Power of the Purse 4.6 out of 5 stars (22)
$10.04
Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know
21% buy
Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
$10.39
The Handbag: An Illustrated History
16% buy
The Handbag: An Illustrated History 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
$29.05
Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Handbag Chic, October 27, 2005
HANDBAG CHIC is a wonderful book! It is very informative with many high quality purses ranging from a rare, early Theorem purse to beautiful 20th century needle worked and leather examples. The circa 1840 painted straw purse had me green with envy. The cover is imaginatively designed as a purse, complete with a chain handle on the spine! The photography is of a very high quality, making details easy to see. I consider this a great addition to my collection of books on purses and a must have for purse and couture collectors everywhere.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect blend of enjoyable and educational., October 27, 2005
As the founder of the Antique Purse Collectors Society, I found this book to be the perfect blend of entertainment and education. The fun begins when you go to pick it up and realize it is made to look like a purse, complete with real chain handle on the spine! However, this is no coffee table volume meant just for looks.

Written by an antique clothing consultant, it covers handbags from 1759 to present. It clearly is expensively reproduced, on thick glossy pages with 600+ color photos. While enjoyable and pretty, the author obviously went to great pains to make it meticulously accurate, as evidenced by her bibliography and resources.

I particularly appreciated the layout; organized both by time period and medium. Because of this method, it is interesting and easy to see the evolution of each particular style, such as beaded, leather, mesh, skins, textile and plastic. It opens with a selection of historically important bags, culled entirely from her own impressive collection.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Handbag Chic 200 Years of Designer Fashion, October 27, 2005
Handbag Chic is a must have resource for anyone who is interested in handbag design. This informative book, which combines unusual and novelty items with more traditional designs, offers a broader view of the art of handbag design than is usually found in most collections. The excellent photographs are accompanied by carefully researched text.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars $50 is alot to spend on a nice cover.
As an owner of over 100 handbags, I was very disappointed with this book. Despite its' beautiful cover, most of the bags are very ordinary and many of the most important handbag... Read more
Published on July 15, 2007 by L. Manning

5.0 out of 5 stars Very highly recommended for any collection strong in both fashion history and books on collectibles
Eye-catching from the start, HANDBAG CHIC: 200 YEARS OF DESIGNER FASHION features a good chain on the side to provide the illusion of a handbag book: open it up and you'll find... Read more
Published on May 27, 2006 by Midwest Book Review

2.0 out of 5 stars DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BAG BOOK-GOOD PICTURES-BAD PRICE GUIDE!
I am really amazed - UPSET AND MISTIFIED at this author and her lack of knowledge on the quality of the VINTAGE-(BACK SECTION OF BOOK) LUCITE~BAKELITE handbags in her book-THE... Read more
Published on November 20, 2005 by LUCITELADYLOVER

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT PHOTOS AND A VERY INFORMATIVE, GORGEOUS BOOK!
As an avid antique purse collector, I am always looking to learn more about my passionate hobby. Desire successfully expanded my knowledge by providing me with a wide range of... Read more
Published on October 27, 2005 by Lori Blaser

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Judge This Book By Its Cover!
"Handbag Chic" is a rare package - the inside delivers what the outside promises. The whimsical and creative cover of this book, made to resemble a purse complete with chain... Read more
Published on October 27, 2005 by Maevesmom

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a fun and informational book!
This book is Purr-Fectly wonderful! Not only is it pretty ( shaped like a handbag and has a chain handle too! Read more
Published on October 26, 2005 by Laura Brehmer

1.0 out of 5 stars Handbag Chic or Handbag Dreck?
Ridiculous collection of some of the worst handbags ever made, with too high values. Was she intending to prop up the values of the most common handbags? Read more
Published on October 12, 2005 by E. Scraparelli

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

So You'd Like to...

Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:







i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.