The Minaudières

IN FASHION, THERE IS A MOTTO: YOU HAVE TO SHINE IN THE DARK OF NIGHT. THIS IS WHY EVENING BAGS LOOK LIKE JEWELS.

The materials that create this illusion are quite varied: mesh, silver and golden-dyed leather, sequins, glass beads, strass… They are feminine, seductive, and glamorous bags.

Vintage evening minaudières can be made of various leathers and materials. Generally, beads and stones are sewn on fabric. The glass bead, a tiny coloured teardrop, was born in Italian glass factories, with Venetians perfecting the art of carving them. Marcasite was one of the materials most commonly employed in minaudières. It became an alternative to diamonds since it could be carved and mounted as real ones.

Metal mesh has a nice drop and is soft to the touch given its artisanal production. The making of the first mesh minaudières required a lot of work since each bag could be made of up to 100,000 rings that were separately cut, opened, and joined by hand. They were usually made in silver and alpaca.

Exotic skins such as snakeskin, tortoise, crocodile, lizard, ostrich, and eel skin are the most sophisticated and sought after materials. They turn any bag they cover into a jewel, since they themselves are considered jewels. Their manufacture is as arduous as mounting thousands of beads to the finest of silks. They are also artisanal pieces, synonymous with exclusiveness and quality. The same can be said about upholstery and embroidery such as miniature Petit Point.

When we talk about minaudières, we exclude traditional skins such as cowhide, goatskin, calfskin, or lambskin, limiting ourselves to metal and stone materials. However, sometimes cowhide, goatskin, and lambskin are used as a canvas to be decorated on. Synthetic and patent leather offer the same possibility.