The Lilliputian handbag, a style of petite proportions that is showing no sign of disappearing from the catwalks, has an inherent frivolity. It is a shape that has dotted runway shows in recent seasons, thanks to brands such as Jacquemus, Fendi, BOYY, and Bottega Veneta. In the era of new extravagance, there is even more allure to flaunting such an impractical accessory, which should ideally hang nonchalantly from the wrist or festoon a finger. We’ve set our sights on a miniscule minaudière, a rigid style that harks back to the vanity cases and cigarette boxes flaunted by Flapper girls during the Roaring Twenties, fitting style icons for the exuberance-encouraging year of 2021.
We particularly like this bourgeois-inspired take on ostentation by Celine. The Parisian maison has swathed the solid silhouette of its minaudière with a tessellation of its Triomphe logo, a motif reintroduced by artistic director Hedi Slimane. The style glints with gold hardware and closes with a Triomphe-shaped clasp.
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Chic, cute and compact from Celine
The elegant accessory emphasises the aesthetic behind the brand’s A/W 2021 collection, which was presented at the breathaking Château Vaux-le-Vicomte, south-east of Paris. The collection features an array of chic French-style inspired silhouettes, ranging from trench coats and tweed blazers to bohemian skirts and knitted cardigans. For the brand's collection film, models strode around the grounds of the historic château, amid moss-dappled turrets, ornate fountains, neat lawns and immaculately pruned bushes.
When you are heading out for everything from chic soirées on Paris’ Right Bank to private views in Manhattan, Celine’s minaudière will hold all your after-hours essentials: lipstick, credit card, and keys. But with no space for your phone, we suggest you do away with digital devices for the evening. After being stuck to our screens for so long, it is perhaps time our experiences were less URL, more IRL. This bijou bag could be your perfect companion.
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