When Gaby Aghion founded Chloé in 1952, she envisioned a modern future for fashion using romantic, spirited designs with the right amount of feminine-masculine energy
Phoebe Philo was the maison’s creative director from 2001-2006, and during her tenure she made waves in the industry, introducing the Bracelet and Silverado bags before the iconic Paddington
Gaby Aghion foresaw the future when she founded Chloé in 1952, establishing what would be one of the world’s first luxury, yet ready-to-wear fashion houses. Moving away from the stiff formality of haute couture, Aghion aspired to make
romantic, cool, spirited and glamorous designs, personifying the aspirations of young women from France and beyond. Her design ethos played with the tension between the feminine and masculine, which remains a defining aspect of the Chloé attitude.
When Phoebe Philo became the maison’s creative director in 2001, she ushered in a new era of leather goods and revolutionised the scale of what handbag design could incorporate. Stylishly decorative and visually chaotic, she loaded her bags with industrial-sized chunks of metal, helping invent what was to be known as handbag hardware.
The world had never seen anything like it. From the Bracelet to the Silverado, her bags sold out everywhere they landed. But the zenith of Chloé’s leather goods and handbags came in 2005, when the British designer created the Paddington.
Following Chloé’s core values of freedom and travel, the Paddington leaned on Left Bank bohemianism, a roughed-up sweetness that featured worn-in leather and soft, rounded edges that were described as having a “luggage feel” with oversized proportions.
Buckles were put on both ends and the grand show-stopping visual of the bag was an enormous, leather-wrapped padlock hanging from the bag’s centre and weighing nearly half a kilogram (when empty, the bag is reported to weigh in at a shoulder-busting 1.3kg). Philo’s nod towards the literal – an industrial padlock to convey the handbag’s role of safekeeping – took the world by storm.
It was the most coveted bag of the moment. Every single one of the 8,000 Paddingtons created for spring 2005 was spoken for before even having an opportunity to reach shelves. Net-a-Porter sold 376 Paddingtons in the first 36 hours online and had over 700 names on a global waiting list. These were groundbreaking numbers. Practically overnight, the Paddington had reached legendary status worldwide.
Handbag hardware is nearly ubiquitous now, with many brands incorporating hardware into their designs or even selling it as a stand-alone accessory, as charms, locks, clasps and various drippings. The Paddington helped introduce a new era of handbag design that still remains to this day – hardware handbags that speak to the merging aspects of femininity and masculinity, practicality and boldness.
All our products are acquired from auction house in Japan, Quality and authenticity are well guaranteed!
Pictures taken from the item itself - what you see is what you get.
Measurements:
7" / 18 cm W
13" / 33 cm H
6" / 15 cm D
Condition:
- very good
- inside is very clean
- usual signs of usage (minor scratches on hardware)
- bottom corners got very minor rubbing/scratches
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SHIPPING
We use EMS (Hong Kong Speedpost) to ship out all orders. There will be full tracking provided. We ship items within 3-5 business days unless stated otherwise.
RETURN
If you are not pleased with your purchase, you have 30 calendar days to return an item from the date you received it.
Buyer is responsible for return postage costs and any loss in value if an item isn't returned in original condition.
For further details with return please refer to our shop policies. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
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Please also visit our sister shop at http://AMBERPROJECTSBYFIFI.etsy.com for beautiful Amber jewellery!
