Burberry Handbags and Bags are All the Rage

Burberry Handbags

Burberry's checkered history. (What a terrible play on words!)

Burberry which used to be seen as quintessentially British, a bit snooty and very boring, has indeed had a checkered history. It was founded in 1856 in Basingstoke, Hampshire, by Thomas Burberry a former draper's apprentice. Since then, Burberry's contribution to clothing has been rather surprising.

Burberry invented the gabardine, a hard-wearing, water-resistant fabric that lets air through but keeps water out (to a certain extent).

In 1911, Burberry provided the clothing for Amundsen, the first person to reach the South Pole, and Shackleton, leader of the 1914 expedition across Antarctica.

In 1914 Burberry adapted its officer's coat to suit the trench conditions of the First World War. Thus giving the world the "trench coat". This article was first posted here - Burberry Bags

The famous Burberry check was created in the 1920s to line its trench coats.

Burberry also designed aviation garments and they sponsored A. E. Clouston and Mrs. Betsy Kirby Green on their record breaking fastest flight to South Africa from London in 1937.

The Burberry black, tan, and red check pattern aka Haymarket check or "Burberry classic check" was not widely used on its own until 1967 for items such as umbrellas, scarves, and luggage. The Novacheck was launched for the younger market, and subsequently changed by making it bigger and turned into a diamond pattern.

Burberry Image Problems in the UK

Burberry was always seen as worthy and boring and the preserve of a certain typically British, staid dull and fashionless consumer. Until the 1970s that is. In the 70s for some unknown reason Burberry's became popular with British football supporters and hooligans and became associated with chavs (US equivalent = white trash or trailer trash) and hooligans. This led to terms such as "burberry crime" and "burberry estates" becoming common parlance in the UK.

The brand is now determined to relaunch itself as the British luxury fashion house it once was. There is a veritable deluge of luvvies and darlings such as First Minister amongst equals Peter "Mandy" Mandelson and Emma watsherface from the Harry Potter films being wheeled out to brainwash their adoring fans into believing what they really need is some Burberry accessories. (Mmmmmmm Burberry accessories).

No doubt this is good news for Burberry as a luxury brand is certainly more desirable than a brand hijacked by smelly oiks. But I digress.

Burberry also has Royal Warrants granted by HM Queen Elizabeth II (yes, that one) and HRH The Prince of Wales. Its trademark products now are its expensive fashionable handbags and exclusive fragrances. The new Creative Director is Christopher Bailey, a no-nonsense straight-talking Yorkshireman and the company is once again a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index - the top 100 companies in the UK.

The calibre of magazine editors attending Burberry's recent bash in London is indicative of prestige regained. Glenda Bailey of US Harper's Bazaar and Carine Roitfeld from French Vogue were in the front row along with the biggest name in the business, Anna Wintour editor of American Vogue ( why wasn't I there?)

Christopher Bailey has transformed Burberry into a competitor for the likes of Dior and Gucci. So it is now safe to buy Burberry again. People will no longer think you are a chav.

Christopher Bailey received an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for his services to fashionistas. He achieved this by designing $20,000 alligator skin handbags and rubber boots costing $700 and persuading Sarah Jessica Parker to wear a Burberry coat during the Sex and the City movie.

The company also cut down the percentage of designs featuring the now infamous check.

Bailey said about Burberry's associations with the great unwashed : "Is it great press? No, it's not. But the point of Burberry is that it appeals across the classes." See what I meant about straight-talking.

Now though, Burberry's recent ad campaign featured Harry Potter g/f Emma watnot and some "floppy-haired boys" looking moody.

So if you want something posh and British, check out Burberry handbags , bags and purses. Burberry are certainly pulling out all the stops, which is no doubt what attracted Peter Mandelson to the brand and I predict that we will be seeing them all over the place over the next few months as they out-design and out-hype Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi et al.

In the meantime for another great British designer (and in fact the best-selling British handbag designer) check out Radley Bags they have some particularly nice ads.