Books like Hip Handbags by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

Purse mania has edged out shoes, jeans, and jewelry as the must-have possession. The bag craze reflects a strong luxury goods market, to be sure, but also conveys a contemporary woman's thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Cultural critic Gallagher says it isn't just something a woman has, but an extension of who she is. This is a short, lively look at handbags--their history, their lure, and their emotional meaning. Gallagher invites us to explore one seemingly simple object's complex significance to the people who design, produce, market, assess, and use it. We meet high-profile designers who strive to combine talent, perfect timing, recognizable trademarks, personal charisma, and celebrity endorsements; fashion editors, the powerful tastemakers who shape our sensibility; psychologists who probe the purse's symbolism; and women who express a range of attitudes about handbags, from an army major's antipathy to a collector's obsession.--From publisher description.

171 p. : 28 cm