Have you ever wondered about the origin of handbags and purses?. We're taking a trip back in time to trace the history of the handbag.

1. HANDBAG EVOLUTION HISTORY FROM
1969 TO 2018
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2. 1969: Quilted Patterns
Elizabeth Taylor and
Richard Burton (i.e. Liz
and Dick) were spotted
leaving their hotel in
Paris, but her quilted
bag really stole the
show. The pattern was
widely popular and
seen on practically
every purse.

3. 1970: Shoulder Bags
More bohemian and
casual styles gained
traction in the '70s, like
shoulder bags with
wider, longer straps.
They were also larger
and usually featured
buckles, like this one
on Candice Bergen.

4. 1971: Patent-Leather
Purses
Princess Margaret—and
every other member of
the royal family, TBH—
always brought a purse
with her whenever she
went out, and this
patent-leather number
was no exception. The
material was a
prominent part of
British fashion trends
in the '60s and became
even more popular in
the following decade.

5. 1972: Briefcases
Rectangular briefcases
weren't just for work;
it became the
accessory women
brought with them
everywhere, and it was
more practical than a
tiny handbag for
stashing all your stuff.

6. 1973: Weekenders
A year later, larger
bags were still in style,
this time in the form of
weekenders. They were
the ultimate accessory
if you wanted to be
stylish while traveling—
after all, who doesn't
want to look like a jet-
setter?

7. 1974: Clamshell
Clutches
Exactly like the name
implies, these purses
resembled clams but
came in suede,
reptilian patterns, and
any other material you
could think of.

8. 1975: White Bags
Queen Elizabeth really
made the case for
bright white purses in
'75—she was often
spotted with this bag
and similar ones when
traveling and attending
official events. Here,
she brought the
accessory with her on a
visit to Mexico.

9. 1976: Neutral Shades
Beige and neutral bags
hit the scene next, and
keeping it in the royal
sphere, Queen Fabiola
of Belgium toted this
one with her while on
official duty with King
Baudouin. She even
matched it to her
leather gloves.

10. 1977: Hermès Kelly
Handbag
She was beauty, she
was Grace...and she
had her own Hermès
bag named for her. The
Kelly bag is still around
today and remains one
of the brand's most
popular silhouettes.

11. 1978: Straw Bags
For a more casual bag,
straw was a go-to
material. The textured
purses made a huge
comeback during the
summer of 2018, but
they also were the
*thing* in '78. This
woman looked
beachside chic as she
paired her tote with
equally cute
espadrilles.

12. 1979: Textured
Materials
Woven leather purses
followed suit after
straw bags, as seen
here on Valerie Velardi,
Robin Williams' then-
wife.

13. 1980: Metallic Hues
By the time the '80s
rolled around, it was all
about loud and flashy
fashion. For handbags,
that manifested itself in
the form of metallics,
as seen on this gold
crossbody on a club-
goer at New York City's
infamous hotspot
Studio 54.

14. 1981: Gucci Jackie Bag
Gucci named this
shoulder bag for the
iconic former First Lady
Jackie Onassis, and it
was just as effortless
and as sophisticated as
she was.

15. 1982: Bamboo Handle
Bags
Bamboo top handles
were super durable,
and the vintage-looking
accessory has made
quite the comeback in
recent years thanks to
Gucci, as seen on the
runway in this image.

16. 1983: Envelope
Clutches
Ever heard of a little TV
show called Cheers?
Diane Chambers,
played by Shelley
Long, had the best
style (she really loved
a good blazer) and was
often seen carrying an
envelope clutch.

17. 1984: Louis Vuitton
Carry-Ons
A Louis Vuitton bag is
often the go-to airport
carry-on for celebrities,
but it was particularly
chic when Audrey
Hepburn did it in '84.

18. 1985: Little Black Bags
No matter the shape or
silhouette, 1985 was
the year of the LBB, or
the little black bag.
Here, Sigourney
Weaver paired hers
with an LBD and
matching gloves at the
Tony Awards.

19. 1986: Dooney &
Bourke Cross-Bodies
In 1981, Dooney &
Bourke branched out of
making belts and
suspenders and moved
onto handbags, and
just a couple years
later everyone was
wearing the brand's
leather purses, like this
beige and tan cross-
body.

20. 1987: Prada Nylon
Backpacks
Prada's classic black
backpack (pictured
here in a pink mini
version) was so
utilitarian with its
buckles and waterproof
material that it became
an accessory staple for
years.

21. 1988: Chainmail
Pouches
Chainmail became the
trendy thing to wear in
'88, and the slinky,
heavy material found
its way onto bags, like
this little drawstring
pouch. It wasn't as
flashy as rhinestones in
the '80s but was eye-
catching nonetheless.

22. 1989: Wicker Bags
The Golden Girls were
possibly the biggest fan
of wicker bags and
were, in part,
responsible for their
widespread popularity.

23. 1990: Long Clutches
Super elongated
clutches were a style
that encapsulated the
'90s, and you'd often
see them, like this
black version, on the
red carpet at award
shows.

24. 1991: Matching Bags
In '91, odds are you
wanted a bag that
matched your entire
ensemble from head to
toe, similar to Sarah
Jessica Parker's neutral
satin purse that went
with her sequin dress
and shawl.

25. 1992: Rope-Strap Bags
Oprah's best accessory
(other than her
longtime boyfriend
Steadman Graham)
was perhaps this
yellow bag with a fancy
rope strap that she
carried to the Emmy
awards.

26. 1993: Jansport
Backpacks
It wouldn't be the early
'90s without Jansport
backpacks. The old-
school bags were
spotted on campuses
everywhere—often
decorated with Sharpie
drawings and iron-on
patches.

27. 1994: Fanny Packs
The '90s were a wild
time for fashion,
because fanny packs
were considered
fashionable. But just
think of the function
and convenience of
fitting all your
essentials in an easy-
to-reach pouch! Even
Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson was a fan back
in his glory days.

28. 1995: Kate Spade Sam
Bag
This was the boxiest
bag in the best way
possible, and it seemed
like everyone owned
one. The late Kate
Spade designed the
waterproof nylon purse
when she started the
company in 1993, and
it became so iconic that
it was relaunched in
2018, seen here.

29. 1996: Animal-Print
Handbags
The '90s were a time of
OTT outfits and
accessories, so loud,
animal printed purses
were the next logical
step in the evolution of
It Bags. Here, Naomi
Campbell carried a
leopard-print design
while out in New York
City.

30. 1997: Satin Clutches
The late Princess Diana
was the queen of
clutches—she even
used them for a secret
trick! But chic satin
ones, like this powder-
blue bag, were
definitely her fave.

31. 1998: Barely-There
Cross-Bodies
The '90s were
associated with severe
minimalism (think
spaghetti-strap tank
tops, slip dresses,
mules, etc.), including
super thin-strapped
cross-body bags, much
like Jennifer Lopez's
here.

32. 1999: Fendi Baguettes
When Carrie Bradshaw
got robbed in Season 3
of Sex and the City and
protested by saying,
"It's a baguette!", she
helped immortalize the
coveted bag. Although
the episode aired in
2000, the design began
building steam the year
prior.

33. 2000: Dior Saddle
Bags
The Western-inspired
Dior saddle bag
reigned in 2000 (it,
too, was in heavy
rotation on SATC) and
truly was an It Bag for
the new millennium.

34. 2001: Issey Miyake
Bao Bao Bags
This iridescent design
spawned knockoffs
everywhere. Although
the accessory launched
the year before, it
didn't gain momentum
until '01.

35. 2002: Kipling Totes
Nothing brings back
the nostalgia of the
aughts like a Kipling
bag—they were
durable, colorful, and
even came with a fuzzy
monkey keychain.
What's not to love?

36. 2003: Louis Vuitton's
Multi-Color Logo
Pochette
In the most 2003
sentence you'll ever
read, Raven-Symoné
wore a Vuitton logo
bag with colored
sunglasses and a mesh
top to the premiere
of Pirates of the
Carribbean. You really
can't think of the
aughts without
picturing this classic
rainbow logo pochette.

37. 2004: Sequined Purses
The year 2004 was a
simpler time, when
everything was
bedazzled in sequins. It
was basically the
material everyone—
including Paris Hilton—
gravitated toward when
picking their "going
out" ensemble for the
night.

38. 2005: Chanel 2.55
Bags
Chanel's 2.55 bag (you
can distinguish it from
others because it
doesn't have the
double-C logo) was
reissued in 2005 to
commemorate the
brand's 50th
anniversary.

39. 2006: Fringe Bags
Something strange
happened in '06: The
fringe on bags grew so
long it seemed like the
tassels touched the
ground, as seen here
on Nicole Richie.

40. 2007: Vera Bradley
Totes
#TBT to when you
toted your precious
Vera Bradley bag all
around middle school.
The soft, quilted fabric
and colorful prints
made these purses
stand out from the rest
of your collection.

41. 2008: Nylon
Longchamp Totes
Nothing was as
important in your life
as your Longchamp
tote, because it most
likely was your first
investment piece—but
it was so worth it
because it held all your
stuff, and you carried it
around 24/7. Here,
Alexa Chung carried a
cat-print version of the
bag in Paris.

42. 2009: Birkin Bags
Famously named after
actress and singer Jane
Birkin, the large bag is
a very pricey status
symbol, which is why
at the end of the
aughts Kim and the
rest of the Kardashian
fam were seen toting
them around New York
City, Los Angeles, and
everywhere in
between.

43. 2010: Mulberry Alexa
Bags
Named for Alexa
Chung, Mulberry's
Alexa bag, which
launched in 2010, was
just as stylish as the
model who inspired it.
Its signature double-
buckle feature on the
front and versatile
straps made it *the*
bag to wear—even
Solange got in on the
craze.

44. 2011: Flat Clutches
Pouches as flat as
credit cards really
trended in 2011 as
they made their way
onto the red-carpet
circuit, as seen here on
Zoe Saldana.

45. 2012: Goyard Bags
Goyard has been
around since 1853, but
its designs are hard to
come by, and very
pricey bags have made
them a must for
celebrities, like Lindsay
Lohan here. In 2012,
the brand released a
new colorway, and it
seemed like you could
find a tote with that
famous Y-shaped
pattern on every
corner.

46. 2013: Mansur Gavriel
Bucket Bags
Mansur Gavriel
launched in 2012, and
the label's bucket bag
reached cult status by
the following year. The
leather material and
drawstring closure
gave the pieces a
contemporary and chic
aesthetic that everyone
wanted to get their
hands on.

47. 2014: Valentino
Rockstud Bags
Arguably the the most
synonymous design of
Valentino was its
"rockstud"
embellishments that
could be found on
shoes, wallets, jewelry,
and, yes, even cross-
body bags.

48. 2015: Givenchy
Lucrezia Bags
This design was similar
to a bowling bag with
its rounded edges, but
it launched into
stardom when Beyoncé
carried a colorful
version of it in 2015.
Even with all the other
bright colors Bey wore,
it was the item that
stole the spotlight.

49. 2016: Chloé Drew Bags
In 2016, this Chloé
cross-body blew up
and was spotted on
every street-style star
and even Victoria's
Secret Angels like
Alessandra Ambrosio.
From its gold accents
to its curved shape, the
bag was an instant hit
following its runway
debut.

50. 2017: Cult Gaia "Ark"
Bags
You'd be hard-pressed
to NOT stumble across
one of these babies on
Instagram—they were
all over your feeds
thanks to your fave
bloggers and
influencers going wild
for them.

51. 2018: Micro Bags
Let this year be known
as the one when bags
became tinier than
your wallet. Kim
Kardashian, Kendall
Jenner, and Rihanna all
have toted the itty-
bitty Jacquemus bag in
2018.

52. THANKS