That modest decoration was followed by slew of hardware, from Dior’s metallics to chunks, chains and eye-catching creatures from almost any known brand. When Celine’s minimalism took over high fashion, bag trinkets went quiet – until Fendi invented “Karlito” in 2016.
I remember the first “accessory” that dingle-dangled off my bag. It was a leather flower-shaped accessory from Prada – over a decade ago – and I clipped it on to the handle of my purple ostrich bag, where it remains today.
Little Karl in the finest fur was such a hit that it started a fashion for fur trimmings. Fendi is still far ahead of the game, but on the most obscure market stall you can now find furry bits to clip on to a purse.
But Valextra is about to launch the next thing in cool replica handbags: do-it-yourself decoration with magnetic buttons that you could change every time you pick up your purse.
Behind the concept is Martino Gamper, a London-based Italian arts and crafts interior designer. He has taken the streamlined Valextra bags, their plain surfaces broken only by a simple geometric line, and created buttons of different sizes and patterns with mini circles as decoration.
There is something hypnotic – but above all fun – in taking the resin “buttons” and moving them around the hermes replica bag to make a simple statement or a complex pattern. If you feel like a decoration-free day? You simply don’t use the buttons, because they leave the blank leather surface untouched.
So how do they stay on? Ah! The magnetic effect is the secret. And that is also why you’re unlikely to see instant copies of the Valextra invention on your local market stall.
Apparent simplicity is Desa’s strength. So is the Turkish brand’s understanding of a woman’s need for a large and light bag; and her desire for something stylish and colourful.
The Nineteenseventytwo range, named for the year Desa was founded by the Celet family, has its own tannery to create exceptional treatments for leather. With stores across Europe and now in Asia and America, Desa is making its mark in the replica handbag world with leather as sleek as silk. But in spite of this minimalist elegance, there is also a sporty feeling with horsey straps and saddle stitching.
For spring/summer, the belt bag in nappa leather is designed to be soft against the body, while tote bags are similarly malleable.
For the autumn season, colour came to the fore on those smooth or soft surfaces: rust, burnt orange, bronze or wine red. Or alternately, there are neutral shades of beige that make their effect with tactile suede or bobbly ostrich. Other cuddly extras are trims of lamb skin and fur.
The plain-with-a-twist Nineteenseventytwo bags, with metallic buckles or lozenges as their only decoration, have a 21st-century style.
