Every designer has got one – for Prada, it’s the Saffiano Promenade; for Gucci, it’s the Ophidia top handle, and for (Yves) Saint Laurent, it was the Muse. Ξέρεις για ποιο πράγμα μιλάω. It’s the dome-shaped bag – possibly one of the handbag world’s oldest and a lot of well-established silhouettes. and like all storied purses, the dome bag’s history is embroiled in intrigue. but if we had to single out one particular bag that remained front and center throughout the length of this controversy, it would be – you guessed it – the Louis Vuitton Alma – maybe the most famous and well-known dome bag of them all.
Now, what exactly constitutes a dome purse? It’s a bag silhouette with a rounded top fully zipped from one end to another and carried by two top handles. Some feature rolled handles (called the “Toron”) for added elegance, while some, like the blue monogram double Jeu Neo-Alma, have thick, flat ones for a a lot more casual, rocker-chic feel. but it can’t be argued that the dome purse, slim, sleek, and ultra ladylike, has become an undeclared staple of sorts for nearly every fashion house in the market (as much as you deny it, Chanel, I know there are vintage ones from your collection!). The bigger sizes make the best day bag – structured but spacious – while its smaller variations are wonderful for night-outs.
Louis Vuitton double Jeu Neo-Alma Bag
via The RealReal
$2,180
And it is with these qualities that the Louis Vuitton Alma steals the show – it takes full advantage of the adaptability of the dome style to bring you the most stunning set of purses imaginable! need a one-size-fits-all handbag for luxury newbies? The Alma PM in monogram canvas is the best starter’s piece. Intimidated by the Vachetta handles? select Damier Ebene instead. love the Vachetta? treat yourself with the limited edition natural Vachetta Alma (yum!). need a pop of color instead? The Epi line’s selection, new and pre-owned combined, is practically endless!
So how did this modern house staple first come to be? The Louis Vuitton web site describes it as such,
“The Alma’s ancestry can be traced to the end of the 19th century, with its a lot of direct forebears taking the rather humble form of a linen bag and a night bag – two basic canvas pouches created to keep trunk drawers tidy. In 1901, their functions merged, giving rise to the Steamer bag, the vital companion of transatlantic passengers. Its sophisticated trapezoidal design concealed discreet compartments to separate clean linen from that already worn.”
So, like its equally storied (but slightly a lot more popular) sister, the Speedy, the Alma too was a shrunk-down version of a travel bag (possibly the Steamer or an equivalent from then). But, while the quick was famously commissioned by Audrey Hepburn, legend has it that the Alma was a special buy made in 1925 by Gaston Louis Vuitton for none other than Coco Chanel – the scandal!
Back then, however, it wasn’t called the Alma. In fact, the details of the earliest Alma encompass a grey area between actual evidence and speculation. Mademoiselle Chanel’s rumored presence in the picture certainly doesn’t make things any clearer (I’ve searched high and low for a picture of the lady with the bag, but with no luck, although this forum might be helpful). What is certain is that Chanel’s (or at least, a very similar) version didn’t go into official production until 1934, and that was called the Squire Bag.
In 1955, the Squire was adapted to make an even slimmer, era-appropriate purse called the Champs-Élysées, while another adaptation around the same time, called the Marceau, resembled a dome-like briefcase/city bag a lot more than a purse. It is likely that both of these looked very different from the Alma as we know it today – possibly having been made with plain brown canvas, and the Marceau made during this time wasn’t the same Marceau you see nowadays, which is a lot more of a crossbody messenger. LV is guilty of recycling names (ahem… The Coussin). but before long, both were discontinued, and only in 1992 was the shape was introduced in signature monogram canvas (complete with the signature padlock-key attachment) and named after the place de l’Alma in Paris where the historic Avenue Montaigne (with its own eponymous bag from LV) meets the Seine River.
The Louis Vuitton Marceau belonging to Picasso’s muse Dora Maar, courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
And owing to its classic shape, the Alma was a popular contender for experimentation from the very beginning. Not only was it made available in every shade of the rainbow in Epi leather and the irresistibly shiny Vernis, but limited editions of the Alma were also released with every hot collaboration LV did in the 2000s, from Stephen Sprouse’s graffiti and roses and Takashi Murakami’s Multicolore monogram and Cherry blossom to the Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian-famed Miroir Mirror version.
Louis Vuitton Vernis Alma PM Lilac
μέσωΜόδας
1.735 $
Τώρα, το πλήθος της μόδας, γενικά, έχει μια εμμονή προς την τσάντα που υποτίθεται ότι “το έκανε πρώτα”, και σε αυτό το σημείο, δεν είναι μυστικό ότι η απομίμηση ήταν αχαλίνωτη στον κόσμο της τσάντας. Έτσι, αν και το Louis Vuitton Alma έχει υπάρξει αρκετό καιρό για να πει με ασφάλεια ότι πολλές από τις παραλλαγές του θόλου που βλέπουμε σήμερα έχουν δημιουργήσει από αυτό, ήταν το πρώτο που εισήγαγε το σχήμα; Λοιπόν, είναι απίθανο, με το Hermès Bolide να είναι ο υποψήφιος που πιθανώς ήρθε πρώτος. Κατασκευάστηκε από τον Emile Hermès το 1923 ως την πρώτη τσάντα με φερμουάρ από το σπίτι του Hermès αφού ανακάλυψε το φερμουάρ στον Καναδά (ήταν ανήκουστο στην Ευρώπη), το Bolide ήταν επίσης μια ειδική τάξη, αλλά για τον Ettero Bugatti. Λέγεται ότι η τσάντα έγινε μετά την έναρξη του νέου αυτοκινήτου του Bugatti, της τορπίλης, και μάλιστα διαμορφώθηκε σαν μπροστινή σχάρα (επίσης ένα σχήμα θόλου)!
Louis Vuitton Electric Epi Alma GM
μέσω μόδας
1.205 $
Ως εκ τούτου, με όλη τη μυστικιστική που περιβάλλει την έναρξη της Alma και το διάσημο παρελθόν του Bolide, είναι πιθανό ότι το Alma δεν ήταν η πρώτη τσάντα θόλου. Ωστόσο, ωστόσο, είναι πολύ πιο γνωστό από το Bolide και ένα πολύ πιο σοφό σημείο εκκίνησης για τους αγοραστές πολυτελείας, δεδομένης της διαχρονικής πτυχής του καθώς και του αδιαμφισβήτητου μονόγραμμα του Louis Vuitton. Και στο τέλος της ημέρας, έχει πραγματικά σημασία που ήρθε η πρώτη; Το Alma είναι μια εικόνα από μόνη της, και ως βετεράνος που βρίσκεται στην αγορά για σχεδόν έναν αιώνα (κάτω από το ένα ή το άλλο όνομα), θα πρέπει να έχει πολύ περισσότερη αγάπη από όλους.
Θα ξεκινήσω. Το αγαπημένο μου Alma είναι το GM στο Electric Black Epi. Τι είναι δικό σου?