7 Women Who Inspired the Names of Iconic Handbags

In 1961, Gucci introduced a Hobo-style bag (then called the Fifties Constance) that caught the eye of Jacqueline Kennedy. Known fondly as Jackie, the former first lady and international style icon took a fancy to the design, owning several versions of the chic saddlebag that eventually became synonymous with her sophisticated, effortlessly elegant style. It is said that the bag was christened The Jackie, by Gucci, after seeing a picture of her shielding herself from the paparazzi with it. 

The Jackie has since been a Gucci staple, seeing many iterations over the years. Tom Ford brought it back onto the runway in 1999 and Frida Giannini in 2009. For the Fall/Winter 2020 collection, current creative director, Alessandro Michele, reimagined the Jackie 1961 once again, this time crafting it with smooth, leather to create a more contemporary finish that did not compromise its classic shape. Still unmistakably recognisable, Michele’s rendition of The Jackie, which featured a sleeker, more structured, crescent-hobo shape adjustable strap and piston closure has become a hit with the fashionistas of today. It has been seen on style influencers like Caroline Daur and Negin Mirslahei as well as English singer/songwriter and actor, Harry Styles. 

The epitome of casual glamour, its beautifully curved body and elongated, elegant handle are still as iconic and classically alluring as the woman it is named after. The Jackie is one bag that will never go out of style.  

The tale of the Hermès Kelly began on a film set. In 1954, English Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock gave American costume designer Edith Heath the green light to purchase Hermès accessories for the film 'To Catch a Thief', starring Grace Kelly. Kelly fell in love with the bag and in 1956, upon becoming Princess of Monaco, she was photographed using the large handbag (originally named the Sac à dépêches when it was first introduced in 1953), to shield her growing belly from the paparazzi during her first pregnancy. The image was featured in Life Magazine and being a fashion icon she was, the handbag began rapidly gaining popularity, instantaneously becoming known as the Kelly bag. However, it was only officially renamed in 1977 and has continued to be one of the most popular, best-selling Hermès bags there is.  

In our current fashion landscape, the prim and proper, beautifully sophisticated lines that make up the signature, trapezium-shaped body of Princess Grace's favoured Hermès Kelly still seem to be a hit with the whos who of fashion. Spectacularly stylish and glamorous without being overly showy, The Hermès Kelly truly reflects the regal, ladylike elegance of the woman that inspired its name. It is of those must-have bags that work with just about any look for day or night, lending a touch of polish while injecting an instant dose of Grace Kelly's effortlessly chic glamour to any outfit. To keep up with the changing style and tastes of our current times, The Kelly bag has been refashioned in different sizes including the adorable Mini Kelly that has been seen on Kylie Jenner.

The story of the Birkin bag is one that any fashion enthusiast would consider a fashion-fairytale conceived in the skies. In the early '80s "it" girl of the era, British actress and style icon Jane Birkin, who had been upgraded, wound up sitting next to Hermès chief executive, Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight between Paris and London. As Birkin was reaching to place her woven, straw basket bag into the airplane's luggage compartment, it fell and the contents spilt all over the floor leaving her scrambling to pick up scattered contents along the aisle of the airplane. 

Seated next to her, Jean-Louis Dumas pondered over why such an incredibly famous woman with a jet-set lifestyle would use a straw bag while travelling, so he suggested that she needed one that had pockets, sparking a conversation about her ideal accessory. Birkin ended up sketching the specifications of her ideal bag on an airplane sickness bag and thus began the collaboration that gave birth to possibly the most iconic bag that has been named after a famous woman. 

Spacious and elegant with just a hint of sporty-chic, The Birkin features four studs on its base and its handles are designed to be carried in the hand or on the wrist. It also presented a new, contemporary statement from a fashion house that was known for having a traditionally classic stance. Before the arrival of the Birkin, the crisp, polished, boxy lines of the sophisticatedly ladylike, statuesque Kelly Bag epitomised the image of Hermès. The Birkin opened doors to new clientele, embodying a cooler, refreshed, slightly more casual yet still glamorous spirit that has continued to tickle the fancy of the “it” girls, celebrities and fashionistas of today.   

The now Insta-famous Bottega Veneta Jodie Bag didn't initially have a name. It was named the Jodie in response to a press photo of Jodie Foster that showed the American actress attempting to shield herself from an unprompted photo-op with her large, black, hobo-style Bottega bag.  

An elevation of the original Bottega Hobo, the now-iconic Jodie "it" bag maintains the shape of the Hobo Bag, while the clever addition of a knot on the side of the handle offsets its structure, lending an element of dimension and interest. It also creates an unmistakable signature silhouette that is immediately recognisable in photographs. The brainchild of former creative director Daniel Lee, this revamped version of the Jodie presents a fresh, contemporary look while still keeping the brand's heritage. 

The innovation does not stop there. The refreshed Bottega Jodie bags that have been seen on Instagram darlings like Leonie Hanne and Camila Coelho as well as celebrity A-listers Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner, have not only been made in a plethora of stunning colours but are also available in different shapes and sizes, including the Mini Jodie and Padded Jodie. It has even been reimagined in a fun, fur textile. 

Press pause and rewind to 1969, where the streets were filled with rebellious leather, studs and edgy-whimsical fringing. From the imagination of Hedi Slimane, this hand-crafted bag from Saint Laurent's 2015 Psych Rock collection reels us back to the hippy years with charming, folksy details that wink at the Old West. 

The Anita Bag presents a hippy-luxe mix of suede and engraved metal that takes inspiration from western belts and its namesake, '70s "it" girl, style icon and muse to English rock legends, the Rolling Stones, Anita Pallenberg. Personifying the laid-back, devil may care, romanticism and edgy glamour of the era, this ultra-chic, statement bag is a perfect example of how some trends just truly transcend time. It would not look out of place on an Old Western film set back in the day yet would fit right into the aesthetics of our modern-day fashion. Think Coachella festival fashion and Southwestern boho-chic. 

Some of the biggest "it" girls of today have been spotted rocking the Anita bag. It has been seen on the likes of Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen. 

This particular bag does may have as colourful or storied a past as some of the others on this list but the woman it is named after is synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood and all the unadulterated glamour that surrounded it. 

Recognised by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest stars of classical Hollywood Cinema, Sophia Loren's sublime sense of style that embodied the alluring sensuality associated with the '50s and '60s was encapsulated by Ferragamo with the creation of the Sofia Bag. Loren was a longtime client friend of Italian footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo, whose eponymous label introduced the bag in Ferragamo's Spring/Summer 2009 collection as a homage to the actress. It was refreshed by the brand in 2017 as the 'Soft Sofia Saddle Bag' but its characteristic elements like the Gancio metal, soft handle and detachable shoulder strap remained untouched.  

Though inspired by a star of yesteryear, the bold yet quiet elegance of the Sofia Bag is still popular to this day and has been spotted on the stars of new Hollywood. Kirsten Dunst and Jennifer Aniston have both been seen carrying it, proving that like Loren herself, the Sofia bag is truly a timelessly stylish icon. 

A couture handbag if there ever was one, The Lady Dior was not created for Lady Diana, it was, in fact, renamed in her honour. The original Lady Dior first materialised in 1994, when Dior was helmed by Gianfranco Ferré. It initially had no name and was referred to as "Chouchou", a French term of endearment. In the September of 1995, France's First Lady, Bernadette Chirac, presented the Lady Dior bag to Diana Princess of Wales, on the occasion of her visit to the Cézanne exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, sponsored by the LVMH group. 

In November of that same year, while on a state visit to Argentina, the Princess appeared carrying the bag she had received as a gift a few weeks earlier as she exited her plane in Buenos Aries. The scene of the famously popular princess and style icon was immortalised in a photograph that spread around the world and the accessory went on to become one of Diana's must-haves. She was often seen carrying it at various official events, including a visit to a children's home in Birmingham. In 1996, as a homage to the Princess, the bag was renamed 'Lady Dior' and this iconic model has since become one of Dior's perennial designs.  

Characterised by its whimsical, dangling alphabet charms, (a nod to the mystical nature of the Maison's founder), the bag also features a distinctively quilted façade that took inspiration from the Napolean III-style chairs that lined Dior’s haute couture salon. Often composed of wood and cane webbing, these chairs featured a classic, rattan weave that is mirrored in what we now know as Dior's Signature Cannage Quilted stitching. 

The Lady Dior in our modern times has been refashioned in various sizes, including the popular Mini Lady Dior and dressed up in a myriad of fresh new colours and prints. Its iconic shape, however, has been left untouched and is still popular with fashionistas of today. A true testament to the timeless nature of classic couture.