A women's bag is not only a stylish accessory, but also a functional thing that should hold a lot of necessary items for all occasions. Most modern women choose a comfortable, elegant and practical tote - a large bag of geometric shape (rectangle, square, trapezoid) with two handles.The tote bag is one of the most sought-after accessories that helps to create spectacular "bows" for the office, beach holidays, and walks. Versatile bags, featuring a wide variety of materials, colors and shapes, allow you to make your image unique and unique. The history of the tote bag.
The prototype for the creation of the classic tote bag was the L.L. Bean canvas Ice bag, created in 1944 to carry heavy ice blocks from the car to refrigerators. The utilitarianism of a durable and roomy bag with two medium-length handles, allowing you to carry it in your hands and on your shoulder, was appreciated by American housewives who made an ice bag in the 50s of the XX century a convenient accessory for shopping and carrying heavy things (luggage, books, laundry).
In 1962, American Bonnie Cashin, the leading designer of Coach, proposed a new bag model, the prototype of which was the not too attractive, but practical ice bag. After the presentation of the open-top bag Cashin Carry Tote, made of soft leather, the tote was first talked about as a stylish accessory. After Bonnie Cashin invented a rotary lock in 1964 and suggested making external zippered pockets, significantly complementing the laconic design of the first tote model, Coach bags became a fashion trend. A decade later, Tote bag (eng. tote - "carry, transport") came off the catwalks, turning into an ordinary shopping and travel bag. In the 1980s, the New York bookstore The Strand launched a line of canvas tote bags printed with book quotes, store logos and phone numbers. Printed bags quickly gained popularity among young people, becoming a real hit of street fashion.
The story of the iconic Birkin tote bag, created in 1984 by the fashion house Hermes, is significant: it was invented by the head of the house Jean-Louis Dumas, who in 1983 found himself next to actress Jane Birkin on a plane en route from Paris to London. Various small items fell out of Birkin's straw handbag on the luggage rack more than once, and Jane complained to the designer that she could not find a comfortable travel bag. Immediately on the plane, they made a sketch of the future tote bag, taking into account all the wishes of the actress, and a year later Dumas created a black roomy rectangular model with two short handles and a flap that fastens with a buckle strap specifically for the actress.
Over the 60 years of its existence, the classic tote bag has evolved significantly:
along with the classic roomy models, medium-sized leather bags with a rigid frame that retains a clear shape, with two short handles and a long strap for carrying on the shoulder appeared;
most of the totes have become practical and safe to close from above with a zipper, a magnetic button or a valve with a metal lock;
there are models with two and three compartments, internal pockets for documents and smartphones;
In addition to leather and canvas, suede, denim, straw, jute, synthetic materials (polypropylene, nylon, eco-leather), fur, various decor (embroidery, lacing, beads, feathers) were used for manufacturing.
But no matter how the design and materials of different models changed, the capacity, versatility and strict geometric shape of the tote bag remained unchanged.