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...

Some of the best things come in small packages...

My fascination with Japan extends far beyond the obvious. Ritual & cleanliness are important. Reading the Japan Pulse blog, which is the blog for Japan Times Online Big (only) in Japan? section I came across 'oshibori' which is the practice of cleaning ones hands & face before a meal with a scented towel. The ones made into birds are featured here, photographed by Daiji Hirata,whose photo of 'Shinjuku in a Glass' is fantastic!

For those of you who don't know I have many obsessions (healthy or not) & my love of 'things that fly' (birds, planes & helicopters especially) & cats are high on the list. Both such loves are shared by Japanese culture. So as you can imagine my favourite image from the Tokyo Story series by Emily Allchurch is 'Tokyo Story 4: Interior (after Hiroshige) 2011' which also includes many other fascinating Japanese things on my 'love it' list. Some of these details are hard to see online, much better full size close up if you get the chance to see them at Diemar/Noble Photography DO! Emily's image here has everything, including birds & an airplane! What more could I wish for....

Included in this image there is a fan, the one here is my own with it's case, a gift from Tokyo from the lovely Brittain Bright. I always put one in my bag from April 1st as the London underground starts to get warmer around this time (seems a long way off but it's not) & get a little smug when I see other less wise commuters stare at it longingly.

Many years ago now I learnt how to do the Yang Style Fan Form which is a rarity nowadays. This is an adjunct to Chinese culture, but the love of the fan & it's use as a weapon is common to both. It made my appreciation for the fan as an object grow, which with a flick of the wrist snaps open. By holding one edge between thumb & forefinger you can 'snap' it in a really satisfying way, try it! I had to learn it right handed (I am left handed) so it was very difficult but much more satisfying when I got the hang of it. I cannot find the exact version online (as there a many) but this comes closest to it. Origami paper on the floor also has a geisha upon it. There are many references to geisha here (as the Hiroshige has a geisha figure) giving a more subtle suggestion alluding to a geisha's presence. The kimono (more about those in a later post) & the sign announcing 'Private' indicates the geisha also.

Then there is inrō, beautiful accessories (often attached to ones obi) that contain anything small. The explanation here is perfect! My interest lies in the design & sheer beauty of it as an object. It is hard to find antique inrō, as much now is plastic & not nearly as nice. The British Museum has a lovely collection, the one pictured here is aptly from the Edo period. The full details & more stunning inrō are on the website. The interior itself is enticing yet open as the water beyond leads to the industrial horizon looming in the distance. This hints at the great times of change & upheaval ahead as the Edo period came to an end with the overthrowing of Tokugawa by the Meiji Restoration on 3 May 1868.

I could wax lyrical about this picture all day it is my favourite. On a personal note, the chopsticks also give me a twang of pleasure as I still have my very first pair given to me by my dad when I was 7 years old. The pride I took in using & mastering them was a big deal as a kid. I think this is how my passion for the art of Japanese food was instigated, as eating with knives & forks gets a little dull & the food can be so pretty. If the bird-shaped oshibori is just the beginning of the meal, what adventures the rest of the meal could be...