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Luxury fashion houses also use the 10 minutes or so on the runway to tout the new handbags they hope will become the arm candy of the fashion-hungry masses willing to pay a month's salary for the next 'It' bag.
Long gone are the days when the handbag was simply a receptacle for one's personal belongings. Today's bag is a fashion statement, a status symbol, even an act of allegiance to a fashion house or designer.
At least, it is for fashionista circles who know their 'Chloe Paddington' from their 'Muse,' 'Birkin,' 'Kelly' or 'Indy' – the names with which some of the big-hitting bags have been christened.
Although bags and other accessories rate highly in all the world's four fashion capitals – New York, London, Paris and Milan, Italy taps into a strong, centuries-old tradition of leather-goods production.
Italian fashion leaders such as Gucci and Prada, which showcased women's ready-to-wear autumn lines here last week, both started out as makers of leather goods.
"I think Milan does stand out in terms of shoes and bags, you tend to notice shoes and bags here much more," said Hilary Alexander, fashion director of the Daily Telegraph.
Everyone has one
"And also everybody seems to have (one). If you look around... look, there's a Louis Vuitton! Is that a Chloe I see before me? Everywhere you look, it seems to be bag heaven in Milan," she said.
Especially popular on the shoulders of the fashion crowd last week was Chanel's large black vinyl sac – part of a 'uniform' of cool shades, vertiginous wedgies and the ubiquitous BlackBerry for frenetic emailing before the start of a show.
One fashion reporter quipped that she would change her bag when she got to Paris, which immediately runs on from Milan. "You want to feel a bit different when you are in fashion, and we are all similar."
Back on the catwalk, the styles turned out by designer labels ran from teeny-tiny like a cigarette case, to D and G's oversized duffel, practically as big as the model carrying it. Clutches, totes, shoulder and weekender bags all got a good showing. At Gucci, confident 1940s tailoring was accessorized by the structured "aviator-shaped" bag, in diamante wool and croc.
And walking the dog took on new meaning at Moschino Cheap and Chic where the handbags resembled little dachshunds.
Linda Fargo, senior vice president for the fashion office and store presentation at luxury goods department store Bergdorf Goodman, noted that bags were becoming more structured, "something with somewhat of a frame on it."
"I think the size is becoming more reasonable, we had very dramatic almost luggage bags in the last prior season or two," she said adding: "We are still seeing shine, I think is still important on the bags."
Sales of accessories and bags in particular are a significant part of a fashion houses' business. Even smaller labels were showing bags, albeit only a handful, when Paris pret-a-porter week opened Sunday.
The waiting list
"A bag probably is much easier to wear, so to speak, than maybe the clothes. Also with a bag you don't have to worry about (clothing) size," said Alexander – which can prove an advantage not only for the producer but also for the customer. "For a long time accessories and bags in particular have been very important in the turnover of luxury houses," luxury fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart said.
But British Vogue sees the impact as broader. "We are now two years into a worldwide epidemic of Total It-Bag Syndrome – a highly infectious condition that attacks women of all ages and income brackets," it said in its February edition.
Witness the 'Chloe Paddington'. When it came out in 2005 every single example was reported to have been sold before even reaching the shops. Today, it is not uncommon to put your name down on a waiting list for the season's must-have bag.
For Picart, a well-designed bag offers strong brand identity – and a commercial coup for a label if a celebrity is snapped sporting it. Not all leather goods makers use the catwalk, however. Bally, which started out in 1851 as a shoe-maker, and Trussardi, established as a glove-maker in 1911, invited the fashion crowd to a showroom presentation.
Bally's bag, shoe and leather accessories designer said bags now account for some 40 percent of the firm's business. For next winter, it offers bigger sizes, including a vintage shape with rigid frame and soft pleating. Its collection includes shearling, crocodile, suede and ostrich feature.
Ultra-luxurious materials are also the rage at Trussardi, including a new 'Grand Tour' bag in hand-painted python skin.
Leather goods now represent 45 percent of the company turnover, and creative Director Gaia Trussardi said bag sales went up by about 18% from spring-summer 2005 to autumn-winter 2006/07.
At Bottega Veneta, production of one of the Italian house's three classic bags, the 'Cabas', is always limited to 250 per colour, largely because it has shunned cheaper outsourcing and continues to handcraft all its bags in Italy. Its bags range from 680 euros for a satin Knot clutch to 58 000 euros for a handmade washed crocodile woven-style bag.
In line with a tradition of naming bags after its store locations, Bottega Veneta is about to launch the 'Ginza Pyramid' for the opening of its new Ginza district store in Tokyo in April.
