What handbags are preferred by the first ladies of the United States and Hollywood stars: In the shape of a hot dog, the most expensive in the world, etc

2023 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 13:10

The world's most expensive evening bag worth 92 thousand dollars, inlaid with thousands of diamonds, tourmalines and pink sapphires, clutches in the form of hamburgers and fries covered with crystals … Judith Leiber's creations are kept in modern art museums, they are adored by the first ladies of the United States, and fashion historians call them her true revolutionary.

Before marriage, Judith was named Peto. She was born in 1921 in Budapest, in a Jewish family. Her father was an entrepreneur, her mother was a housewife. When the girl was seventeen years old, her parents insisted that she go to study at King's College in London, where she was to study chemistry. The family believed that their daughter would make a career in the cosmetics industry - in addition, the clouds of Nazism were gathering over continental Europe, and Great Britain seemed safer. However, before the outbreak of World War II, Judith returned home. The family, having cried out that their daughter did not mix petroleum jelly with dyes somewhere in foggy England, got her into a bag company - and then Judith realized what she wanted to devote her life to. She enthusiastically cut, cut, sewed and glued, she was fascinated by how a flat piece of leather turns into voluminous and functional - and elegant! - thing. And during these few months of peaceful life, she managed to accomplish the impossible - to become the first woman with a master's degree in the leather industry and the first woman in the Hungarian guild of handbag manufacturers in Budapest. And then the war began.

Judith's father during these years worked as a manager of one of the departments of the Hungarian branch of a Swiss bank. Thanks to this, he was able to obtain the Swiss Schutzpass. This document meant that its owner was a Swiss citizen awaiting return to his home country, and provided him and his family with relative safety. But, of course, there are no guarantees. The family was moved to a house for Swiss citizens in Budapest, where there were twenty people in one apartment - but that was better than being in a concentration camp. In 1944, all the inhabitants of the house were moved to the ghetto, but they managed to hold out until the liberation of Hungary by Soviet troops. After the war, the Peto family huddled in the basement with several dozen fellow citizens, but Judith did not lose heart. She found a way to do what she loved and earn a little extra money - she sewed wallets for the American diplomatic mission in Budapest. Sergeant Gershon Leiber became one of the lucky owners of her creations. Judith had a lot in common with him - love of art, courage, boundless imagination … Leiber at that time was already a famous abstract artist - later his works will be in the largest collections of contemporary art around the world. They soon got married and moved to New York.

In 1963, Judith Leiber decided to open her own brand of accessories that were unlike anything else on the market. Handbags, clutches and purses of intricate shapes were strewn with shining colored crystals.

For the first time, Judith tried this trick, trying to hide scratches on an imported bag, which she ordered as a gift for a friend, but an unscrupulous manufacturer sent her a thing with a marriage. A friend didn’t notice that the original design had been “refined” by Judith - perhaps the thing became even better! So Swarovski crystals settled on Judith Leiber handbags.

Often a lack of skill hinders the creative imagination, but it was not for nothing that Leiber became one of the best masters in her homeland in her youth. A clutch in the shape of a cat or a hamburger? As easy as pie! A purse in the shape of a slice of watermelon, cake, piglet or tomato? No problem. Of course, Judith also had quite conservative models, but each of them was distinguished by unusual details. An ornament lined with colored crystals, an unusual shape of a clasp, an animal figurine lurking on a clasp, a bold combination of shades or a special texture of the skin …

The assortment of Judith's workshop grew, as did the number of her employees - and her fame. Over time, the works of the workshop have received an assessment at the highest level. The first lady of the United States, Mamie Eisenhower, was distinguished by her extravagant style, sometimes on the verge of good taste, and it was she who became Leiber's first status client. Subsequently, Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton also appreciated the quality and originality of Judith Leiber handbags, and movie stars regularly appeared with her creations on the red carpet … Over time, Judith Leiber bags became collectible - for example, Bernice Norman, a patron from New Orleans, bought three hundred bags of the brand (but it is unlikely that he walks down the street with them). And the designer was literally poured in awards, honorary titles, praise …

In 1998, Judith Leiber retired and sold the company, but the new owners treated her with great respect and offered cooperation from time to time. In 2008, the brand released its first perfume - the founder of the company was directly involved in the work on it. In 2005, the Leiber couple opened their own museum, which today displays paintings by Gershon and Judith's handbags. The Leiber spouses were together for many years - in the difficult post-war years and decades of glory, they passed the hardships of emigration together and were united in their passion for art. And they divided death into two. Judith survived Gershon by only a few hours …

Every thing Judith Leiber creates is a treasure these days. Even goods from the "democratic" line only grow in price over the years. In addition, the sparkling Judith Leiber handbags are well deservedly recognized as works of modern art. They can be found in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and many other museum collections. The brand continues to live and develop, creating new models of bags that conquer the hearts of fashionistas around the world.