Handbags at dawn!

Handcrafted is always worth the time & effort.

Whenever I visit a new city I try & see something unexpected, so whilst in Amsterdam I went to the Museum of Bags & Purses with Gabrielle. It seemed only fitting to have a bit of a girly day before the fair. It turned out to be a fascinating gaze into the past from a completely different angle. 

The museum was very informative with wonderful displays & examples of bags & purses appearing in other art forms as well.

Seeing the delicate hand finished details of many of the bags & the accessories that went with them reminded me of the beauty of a well made, hand crafted object can really delight the senses.

If you could see how small these lace flowers were you would be amazed. The care taken to make them would take patience & concentration that would be nigh impossible to find nowadays I wager.

The top of a handbag could be a thing of wonder, with so many themes here. I must say the foxes were my favourite. 

I went to an exhibition at The Hayward Gallery many years ago of things made by people in asylums at the turn of the century mainly.  One work was by a woman who  had embroidered her handwriting obsessively. At the time I was mesmerised. There is something very pleasing about beautiful handwriting & even moreso when stitched so carefully. 

Of course a stark reminder & well chosen display with this Olympic clutch. I saw a lot of plastic naff trinkets on sale throughout the Olympics, but never something as groovy as this, with every bead stitched on by hand. This woven beaded bag is from Germany 1928, quite eerie when I saw the date. 

We started at the top of the stairs going back in time & working our way down this lovely staircase. 

More beautiful handwriting, nicely finished with stamp & postmark. As an avid letter writer (yes I write about 3 letters a week to friends & family with my favourite Lamy fountain pen) I think this clutch would suit me fine. However, for those of you who know me, I would never fit anything into such a small purse, I'm more of a Mary Poppins lady where bags are concerned. (Not through choice I hasten to add)

Then the fans, only two of them but from the 1930's, an era  adore for its style, depicting how the other half lives...

Even the ceiling was utilised in one room, with these ghostly bags suspended above us, lit to dramatic effect. It is curation like this that inspires...

Although there were a couple of bags with birds on them I thought the arrangement of these feathers was spectacular. What was astonishing how so many of the bags could be used today, without the least hint of being out of fashion. Why is this?

Once again the care taken to vary the displays really made for a great visit. Each room had a different feel, taking you forward in time. By the time we got to the turn of the century the nostalgia worked into this arrangement with the backdrop of the train station left the bags & their contents to create the hustle & bustle of the platform during a busy day. By putting lots into one space you are encouraged to take longer to try & catch every detail We didn't want to miss a thing. 

Even the plastic ones became jewels lit from below like little wedding cakes. How practical a bag is is not the issue, but how amazing it looks!

Sadly this camera bag (see what I did there) was in a very dark case. Unlike many of the visitors I refused to give in & use my flash so this is as good as it got. (Massive pet peeve when people do this as it is a sure fire way to help things fade quicker) I think it's a snuff box.

Then came the cute & creative stuff. At first I thought, aaah a tea party, but no these mice are playing poker!

Practical? No. Fabulous? YES!

Like a big jelly really...

Now for the clever stuff by arty farty types, which I of course loved. Above is perhaps my favourite bag in the whole place. The simple rendering of an amazing idea had me dreaming of a whole range like this with wire shapes & a draw string pochette in the centre. Can you imagine a briefcase, satchel, rucksack, shoulder bag....amazing!

The further deconstruction here was great too, but not a great way to hide your purse. 

Not a favourite, but thought the photo was nice, despite being out of fashion (finally) the cupcake.

If you haven't had your 5 a day head to the handbag museum! There was something quite disturbing about this giant veg, but did make us smile.

Utilising other objects, to have other uses ( I am currently seen wearing a bracelet that used to be a steel rule & an earring that was once a sugar tong) like this swimming cap. 

Animals are always favourite decorative themes, but this cat looked very manky & made us laugh A LOT!

Then the dog had us in stitches with his hilarious expression.

The museum cat made an appearance as we stopped our tour for a glass of rosé to keep things civilised. 

Next to us was another lovely object, this time a ceramic lady in a bell jar, whats not to like.

The rosé did not last very long. Happy days...

I heart Amsterdam

Foam 

What a shame to leave such an amazing city such as Amsterdam. With so much of it spent at the fair it was over in a flash. I did however, want to share some photo's with those of you who have never been or intend to visit again soon. Foam who organised the fair are well worth a visit as they always have great shows of great variety. When I last visited I loved all 5 exhibits.

Foam

The entrance is very beautiful, with a very contemporary interior.

Erik Kessels amazing carpet of photo dreams

 The curation is exceptional, with the Erik Kessels exhibition full of amazing & varied displays. I fell in love with the photo rug which if I had had the chance would have happily crammed in my suitcase!

I really want this carpet

Classic shot, bike, canal, & Unseen banners everywhere!

Upon our arrival we were thrilled to see Unseen banners all over the city, & gave up taking pictures as we soon realised we would run out of memory on our cameras if we kept going.

I mean EVERYWHERE!

No canal was left banner-less

The architecture is so picturesque as houses lean left, right, backwards & forwards towards the canals. 

Oh how we love the buildings

 Even the industrial architecture of the 2 buildings that housed the stands at the fair were full of beautiful lines & textures. 

Fabulous roof inside Transformatorhuis

And inside the Gasfabriek

 It is hard to see in a photograph but the clouds above the stands were projected onto the screens & flickered with many colours when you saw them up close.

The amazing L A Noble Gallery stand at the end of the hang

The first day was spent setting up the stand & it was a wonderfully satisfying experience with the whole space shiny & new, each wall telling a new story but all linking & complimenting each other as well as we'd hoped.  

From left to right, Lisa Holden on the first 3 walls, with Kate Owens centre, Herb Schmitz & finally Emily Allchurch. The space really attracted people to walk in & stop inside to spend time there. It felt lovely to be inside as the nature & nurture combined.

A visitor to the fair is mesmerised by Lisa Holden's trees

Herb Schmitz with his work premiering at Unseen

Herb Schmitz's incredible images from the 1970's & 1980's looked stunning in the space. More about his work soon. This man has travelled the globe many times & the stories behind his images & the people contained in them are great. He has a keen eye for detail & sensitive flare to truly get the most out of his models. When working for world famous designers, he would only shoot if he could choose the models himself. This assertion provided sensational results of artistry & imagination. 

Gabie prepares to show the public the temptation of Martin Usborne's amazing Dogs in Cars

The large print portfolio of Martin Usborne's work drew in so many people. Once the blue gloves were on a crowd would gather to watch each print, cooing at the dogs full of personality, matched with the perfect vehicle. Here we see Gabrielle having just taken off her gloves knowing that it would not be long before she would have to don them again.

The first of many wanting to view the portfolio

We also had portfolios & prints by several other photographers, notably Lottie Davies 'Memories & Nightmares' series drew in the crowds as well. Her majestic award winning portrait fascinated viewers. When they were informed that the 5 babies were all the same child everyone looked closer in wonder at her seamless imagery. 

©Lottie Davies

I encourage you to see the whole series on her website. The prints are beautiful in the flesh. I have harked on about this before, but there is really a presence to a great portrait that is no mean feat. The image coupled with great printing is a joy to behold.

Our bakery heaven each morning

Then there was the bakery. Thanks to one nearby we made our way through their wonderful scones, breads, sandwiches & coffee each morning. Freshly baked fair is surely the best start to the day, we felt like champions soon after. 

Yum

The chocolate scones were fantastic

By the time the fair was over we were so used to coming to the site it was hard to leave. All the amazing staff at the fair made our experience a great one. It had become our hone for a week & we count the days till the next one. 

All over, but the sign still looked smashing...

Packed & ready to ship

One last glance at the roof

Out into the open to admire some of Haarlem on our last day

So as we had till 3 on our last day to do some shopping, so Gabrielle & I headed into nearby Haarlem for a chance to go inside the shops we had been ogling the evening before on our way to dinner. Needless to say too much money was spent, but we left happy. Next time I shall be admitting to our other guilty pleasure on our first day, the fabulous Museum of Bags & Purses. Yes you heard right. Brace yourself!