Not currently on display at the V&A

Bag

1967 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the early 1960s, old notions of proper dress were breaking down as youth fashion began to take hold. At risk of losing their entire business, handbag manufacturers were forced to respond to ever changing vogues, and the quantity of mass-produced, ready-to-wear and disposable fashion set a new tone.

Mary Quant, who opened her first boutique in 1955, said 'I want to invent...new fashion accessories that are up to date with the changing ways of life.' Modernity was celebrated, influenced by fine-art movements such as Op Art and Pop Art. Plastic dresses, chain-mail minis and disposable printed paper dresses and matching bags, like this floral-patterned example, were all the rage.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Printed paper
Brief description
Tote bag made of printed paper, USA, ca. 1967
Physical description
Tote bag made of paper and printed with a floral pattern.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36.5cm
  • Width: 32.5cm
Style
Credit line
Bequeathed by Audie Bancroft
Object history
Registered File number 1992/122.
Subject depicted
Summary
By the early 1960s, old notions of proper dress were breaking down as youth fashion began to take hold. At risk of losing their entire business, handbag manufacturers were forced to respond to ever changing vogues, and the quantity of mass-produced, ready-to-wear and disposable fashion set a new tone.

Mary Quant, who opened her first boutique in 1955, said 'I want to invent...new fashion accessories that are up to date with the changing ways of life.' Modernity was celebrated, influenced by fine-art movements such as Op Art and Pop Art. Plastic dresses, chain-mail minis and disposable printed paper dresses and matching bags, like this floral-patterned example, were all the rage.
Collection
Accession number
T.35-1992

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Record createdMarch 19, 2003
Record URL
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