Salvatore Ferragamo Black Suede and Leather Top Handle Handbag
View Similar Items
Salvatore Ferragamo Black Suede and Leather Top Handle Handbag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: 4342-21stDibs: LU2594132913
Salvatore Ferragamo
A perfectionist who as a child crafted a pair of white shoes for his sister’s first holy communion because his parents couldn’t afford new footwear, Salvatore Ferragamo was ambitious from his earliest days. The young Italian shoemaker established in the years that followed what would one day become a fashion empire — the highly profitable multinational family-owned and -operated luxury brand today counts more than 600 stores in 96 countries around the world, and vintage Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, belts, handbags and other clothing and accessories are objects of desire for fashion lovers everywhere.
Salvatore Ferragamo sought an education in the art of shoemaking when he was eleven — he apprenticed with a local shoemaker and spent a short time in nearby Naples learning what he could at a shoe factory. He opened his first shop with a handful of workers the following year, and in 1914 — when he was still a teenager — Ferragamo emigrated to America, just as his siblings had before him, seeking new opportunities for work and to learn in the footwear trade.
After securing a job at the Plant Shoe Factory in Boston, Massachusetts, Ferragamo was uninspired by machine-made footwear. He moved across the country to Santa Barbara, California. Owing to a connection he made with a then-actor cousin, Ferragamo found work with the American Film Manufacturing Company. He made women’s shoes and provided durable cowboy boots for a film crew’s costuming department. Ferragamo’s reputation in the world of Hollywood cinema soon broadened, and he established a storefront in Mission Canyon where he made shoes by hand for the likes of actresses Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo and Dolores del Río.
By the 1920s, film directors commissioned Ferragamo to produce shoes for a range of movies — the list of films eventually included The Ten Commandments, The Covered Wagon and The Thief of Baghdad. When he felt comfortable enough with the English language, Ferragamo also enrolled in anatomy courses at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in order to better understand motion and the demands that we place on our footwear.
By the late 1920s, Ferragamo sought to expand production of his shoes and returned to Italy. He hired scores of apprentices to work in a factory in Florence, where Ferragamo carefully melded the principles of handcraftsmanship with all that he learned about America’s shoe factories. He filed patents — hundreds over the years — on the steel shank arch and many other unique aspects of his shoe design, and when economic and political influences during the 1930s forced Ferragamo to substitute pressed cork for steel to support the arch, the wedge heel was born. Other creative materials he integrated into his forward-looking creations were hemp, felt, nylon fishing line, fish skin and cellophane twisted with silk.
In the late 1940s, the brand’s first storefront opened in Manhattan, and today Salvatore Ferragamo is known worldwide and is synonymous with a wealth of iconic footwear such as Viva ballet flats, Vara Bow pumps, Gancini loafers and lots more. Ferragamo’s son, Ferruccio, was appointed CEO in 1984. Under his leadership, Ferruccio diversified and expanded the fashion business further, getting into sunglasses, fragrance, watches and made-to-measure men’s shoes. Ferruccio was succeeded by his brother, Leonardo Ferragamo, and British designer Maximilian Davis is now creative director of the brand.
Find vintage Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Judith Leiber Deep Red Lizard Top Handle Handbag - SHWBy Judith LeiberLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJudith Leiber Deep Red Lizard Top Handle Handbag - SHW Circa 90's This beautiful structured handbag in a beautiful deep red lizard color, is in excellent condition. It has an art dec...Category
1990s American Top Handle Bags
$600 Sale Price25% Off - Nancy Gonzalez Beaded Raffia & Orange Croc HandbagBy Nancy GonzalezLocated in West Palm Beach, FLNancy Gonzalez Beaded Raffia & Orange Croc Handbag. This bag is in good condition with a few beads being loose and some minor bottom wear. The beads are ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Top Handle Bags
$950 Sale Price29% Off - Goldstrom Vintage Goldtone Basket Weave with Grey Marbleized Top Bag, 1950sLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGoldstrom 1950s Vintage Goldtone Basket Weave with Grey Marbleized Top Bag. This bag is in fair vintage condition with wear consistent with its age. The inside has visible wear and t...Category
1950s Top Handle Bags
- Versace Suede, Velvet, & Ribbon Woven Speedy Handbag with Snake TrimBy VersaceLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis very collectible Versace Suede, Velvet, & Ribbon Woven Speedy Handbag with Snake Trim. This handbag is in excellent condition with very minor wear. ...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Purple Satin Mombasa BagBy Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLTom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Purple Satin Mombasa Bag. This shoulder bag is purple with a black enamel handle. The handle has silver...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
$750 Sale Price25% Off - Lambertson Truex Wicker and Brown Leather HandbagBy Lambertson TruexLocated in West Palm Beach, FLLambertson Truex Wicker and Brown Leather Handbag. This adorable wicker bag by Lamberston Truex is in good condition. The inside material shows some f...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Top Handle Bags
- Fendi BLACK ZUCCA CANVAS & CALFSKIN LEATHER VINTAGE MAMA BAGUETTEBy FendiLocated in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireFendi BLACK ZUCCA CANVAS & CALFSKIN LEATHER VINTAGE MAMA BAGUETTE CONDITION NOTES The exterior is in excellent condition with light signs of use. The interior is in excellent condit...Category
2010s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Limited Edition Hermes Blue Bolide Shark Monster BagBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRAmazing Hermes Bolide bag with its happy shark, created in 2015/2016. A collectible piece ! Made of Togo leather. Size 45. Comes with lock, key, clochette, and its original dustbag. ...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Ingber 1960s Evening Box BagLocated in Alford, MA1960s Ingber box-shaped bag in black featuring a rope top handle and a jeweled clasp. Open to reveal a red interior with side compartment. Plenty of room for phone and essentials.Category
1960s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel Bowling Bag 'PARIS-NYC' Burgundy CrocodileBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRSublime collector CHANEL bag, model 'Bowling' from the Famous Collection Paris / New York in bordeaux crocodile leather. Aged silver plated hardware, aged silver plated closure, han...Category
Early 2000s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Chanel Vintage 1997 Name Plate Black Patent Leather Top Handle BagBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Vintage 1997 Name Plate Black Patent Leather Top Handle Bag Year 1997 Chanel handbag crafted in black quilted patent leather, featuring in...Category
1990s French Top Handle Bags
- Koret Black Alligator Large Top Handle BagBy KoretLocated in Los Angeles, CAKoret Black Alligator Large Top Handle Bag made in America, comes with attached coin purse and a Kent London pocket Comb. VERY RARE Measurements: Height - 9.5 inches Width - 15 ...Category
1950s American Top Handle Bags