Gucci Beaded Reptile Print Evening Bag with Chain Strap
View Similar Items
Gucci Beaded Reptile Print Evening Bag with Chain Strap
About the Item
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU49690732
Gucci
Long before trend-bucking creative director Alessandro Michele brought his hallucinatory “Utopian Fantasy” campaign to Gucci, it was a modest Italian leather shop. Today, it’s an internationally renowned luxury house with an iconic logo, and vintage Gucci clothing, handbags and shoes are among high fashion's most covetable goods.
Guccio Gucci (1881–1953) admired the stylish suitcases he saw wealthy guests arrive with at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he worked as a bellhop. So, in 1921, after a stint at Franzi, a luggage company in his hometown of Florence, he opened a leather goods shop of his own.
At first, Gucci’s Florence business specialized in equestrian accessories. But as its reputation flourished, particularly among the English aristocracy, so too did its footprint. In 1938, he brought three of his sons — Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo — into the business and expanded it to Rome and later Milan. In the mid-1930s, a League of Nations embargo against Italy pushed Gucci to experiment with alternatives to imported leather. Its woven hemp fabric from Naples, adorned with the brand’s signature diamond print, was a hit, especially among A-list celebrities. The material was first used on suitcases before finding enduring popularity on handbags. (No list of revered designer purses would be complete without Gucci.)
In the 1950s, Elizabeth Taylor carried one of Gucci’s bamboo-handled tote bags, another adaptation to material rationing. After Jackie Kennedy was seen sporting a slouchy Gucci tote in 1961, it was renamed for the First Lady. Then Grace Kelly, on a visit to the boutique in Milan, inspired Rodolfo Gucci to work with Italian illustrator and Gucci textile designer Vittorio Accornero on the Flora print in 1966. Taking cues from Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, with its pattern of flora and insects, it was painted entirely by hand and featured no fewer than 37 colors.
In 1953, just 15 days after opening his first store on New York’s 5th Avenue, Guccio passed away at 72. The early 1970s saw store openings in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but by the late 1980s, Gucci was floundering. Rodolfo Gucci took charge in 1982, but family drama and lawsuits ensued. In 1993, Rodolfo’s son, Maurizio, transferred his shares in the company to Investcorp, ending the family’s involvement in Gucci. Dawn Mello, then-president of Bergdorf Goodman, joined as creative director in 1989. But it was Tom Ford, who took over as creative director in 1994, who ultimately revived the brand.
Ford’s racy ads, shot by photographers such as Mario Testino, stirred controversy. And his potent vision of sexed-up femininity — with “jewel-toned satin shirts unbuttoned to there,” as Vogue described his breakthrough 1995 runway show — was wildly successful. The new millennium brought new ownership — Pinault Printemps Redoute in 2004 — and a more toned-down vision from Frida Giannini, who became sole creative director in 2006. Alessandro Michele was named creative director in 2015, and the storied brand took a giant leap forward.
Find vintage Gucci clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Harry Rosenfeld Opulent Gilt Metal Lion Evening Bag Made in Italy c 1970By Harry Rosenfeld, Harry Rosenfeld Made in ItalyLocated in University City, MOHARRY ROSENFELD Opulent gilt metal lion evening bag Made in Italy The lavish gold metal cylinder evening bag is adorned with a pair of ornate lion emblems on each exterior side The stylized lions are designed with intricate silver metal faces with sinuous gilt metal manes...Category
1970s Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
- ELIE SAAB Minaudière in Purple Leather and Embroidered Fabric with PearlsBy Elie SaabLocated in Paris, FRElie Saab minaudière evening bag in purple leather and fabric embroidered with pearls. The interior is lined with gold leather with a small pocket. It is worn by hand or shoulder w...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Unlabelled Paco Rabanne for Walberg gold and silver discs bag, circa 1960By Paco Rabanne, WalborgLocated in London, GBThe aesthetic of this bag not only mirrors the linear forms so often associated with technology. But also symbolises the clean-edged aggressiveness of the sexual revolution of the 1...Category
1960s Hong Kong Evening Bags and Minaudières
$603 Sale Price29% Off - Judith Leiber Silvertone Embroidered Lame Frame Purse with Silvertone HardwareBy Judith LeiberLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Judith Leiber purse is composed of a metallic silver-tone taupe lame. Features a silver-tone frame with rhinestone accents and an interior pocket. In excellent almost new pre-o...Category
20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Pastel Beaded BagLocated in Alford, MAUnusual beaded evening bag from the 1950s/'60s having a white background decorated with repeating egg-shaped designs in pastel colors. The white beaded frame is embellished with 2 oval porcelain plaques. Gold chain handle, white satin interior. Not marked, but these intricate beaded bags...Category
1950s Unknown Evening Bags and Minaudières
- A white micro beaded evening bag, for Saks Fifth Avenue, France, 1950s.Located in Greyabbey, County DownOf high French quality workmanship, this very smart and classic evening bag is all hand beaded, and has a very unusual and stylised opening/closure, of clear pastes set in gilded met...Category
1950s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Explore a Century of Gucci Fashion in London
The iconic Italian label’s traveling exhibition has just arrived in London.
The Stories behind the Most Famous Luxury Fashion Logos
From Chanel to YSL, the logos of some legacy fashion houses spark instant brand recognition and have come to symbolize a kind of luxury that feels at once aspirational and attainable.