shoes

by Race Point Publishing

From The Art of the Handbag:

In the 1980s, California Bay Area native Mary Frances abandoned real estate for a more creative career. She began by designing costume jewelry, and her love of the genre lives on in her beaded and bejeweled bags. The designer launched her first collection of bags in 1989. Needless to say, it was a smash hit. Since then, her business has grown exponentially, but every bag is still made by hand. Mary Frances has twice been named “Star of the Show” at Paris Fashion Week and in 2004, won the Accessory Designer of the Year Award at the Dallas Fashion Awards.

by Race Point Publishing

From The Art of the Handbag

Dustin says she likes to create purses “because purses are functional. You are supposed to touch them, caress them, and examine them. Your life is enhanced because it’s wonderful to carry beautiful things around with you and use them.” Recently, she’s found herself paying attention to the small things of the natural world, such as seedpods and flower buds. The delicate fernlike tendrils emerging from the top of her “Blumen Bachia” handheld purse (opposite page) echo the curves of the sheltering pod.

by Race Point Publishing

From The Art of the Handbag

João Sabino’s “Keybag” got its start in 2003 as a graduation project for his degree in industrial design at the College of Art and Design in Caldes da Rainha, Portugal. His inspiration? An old computer keyboard. By deconstructing the keyboard, randomly rearranging the keys, and adding a zipper, Sabino created something new and fun. When he posted a picture of his original design—which looked more like a cosmetic bag—on his blog, he got about 400 emails from people who wanted to buy one

by Race Point Publishing

From The Art of the Handbag

Gibbs says a lot of her work is derived from her “observations of nature and finding beauty in ordinary things, little pieces of moss, grass, and peeling bark.” In her “Silver Birch” and “Green Birch” bags (opposite page), paper-thin slices of sterling silver over silk evoke the peeling bark of birch trees. The clasps are twigs of silver leaves and the handles, gossamer silver chains.