Iconic Hermès, Gucci and Fendi luxury handbags join Hong Kong singer-actress Kelly Chen’s hand-picked pieces from her collection, and more, in new exhibition
- ‘Bags: Inside Out’ at Pacific Place explores the story of bags, including their history, design, functionality and relationship with celebrity culture
- Thirteen pieces from Kelly Chen’s personal collection mark special moments in her life, including the first Chanel bag she received from her parents
In the third season of Sex and the City, there’s a scene in which Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, finds herself lost south of Houston Street in New York. Before long, a robber is holding her at gunpoint and demanding her handbag, to which Bradshaw, without missing a beat, points out: “It’s a Baguette.”
The Fendi Baguette skyrocketed in popularity after the episode, becoming the world’s first “It bag”, and subsequent editions have become a mainstay in the fashion world.
Bradshaw’s purple-sequinned Baguette is now on display in Hong Kong at “Bags: Inside Out”, an exhibition presented by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and Hong Kong property developer Swire Properties.
Running until July 16 at Pacific Place in Admiralty, the show is the final stop on the exhibition’s international tour and explores the story of bags – including their history, design, functionality and relationship with celebrity culture.
Curator Lucia Savi began working on the exhibition in 2018, when few institutions had presented comprehensive exhibitions on the accessory. Upon digging through the V&A’s archive, she realised how bags represented much more than meets the eye.
