V&A handbags exhibition

02 December , 2020 Daily Mail

BAGS BECOME PART OF EVERY WOMAN

Mariya Dykalo, creative director, Aspinal of London

Mariya Dykalo (pictured) celebrated her first year in England by purchasing her first designer bag, a Jimmy Choo Tahula Hill bag for around £1,200

I have a huge archive of all the bags I’ve designed over the years as well as my favourite vintage pieces. Bags are not just a unique statement of a woman’s status, they become part of her as well.

My favourite Aspinal bag is the lion trunk made from transparent recycled acrylic with a miniature brass lion doorknocker. It is inspired by the traditional English brass lion head door knockers and lion statues of London.

I came to England from the Ukraine in 2004 and to celebrate my first year here I treated myself to my first designer bag, a Jimmy Choo Tahula Hill bag which cost me around £1,200. It was the first bag I fell in love with and it was an inspiration when I started as an assistant designer at Aspinal the following year. I was so pleased when the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted with two versions of one of my designs: the Aspinal Midi Mayfair in both black croc and lilac.

These days I carry two bags — our latest Origami Tote, which is very easy and can be folded and used like a clutch. I keep this inside my large Marylebone bag.

My favourite bag in the V&A exhibition is the despatch box owned by Churchill. It looks like an old trunk with a simple brass handle and I love the fact that the design is still used by today’s Chancellor. It’s the kind of timeless classic any designer would hope to create.

WHAT’S IN MY BAG TODAY? A smaller clutch, plus my make-up bag, two phones, my laptop, magazines and work documents, sometimes a pair of spare shoes, a healthy shake, sunglasses, bottle of water and a pencil case. You can see why I like really big bags!

 

Daily Mail