Get yourself Warm!!
A new exhibition, ‘Accessories are a Girl’s Best Friend’, will begin on 16 September in the Museum of Bags and Purses. The new exhibition will highlight the most remarkable pieces from the Rijksmuseum’s extraordinary accessory collection, including parasols, umbrellas, hats, hair accessories, shawls, gloves, fans, shoes and stockings.
These hidden (until now!) fashion treasures are usually stored in the Rijksmuseum depot, but from 16 September 2017 until 28 January 2018, they’ll be on display at the Museum of Bags and Purses. In addition to the exceptional accessories from the Rijksmuseum, remarkable bags from the Museum of Bags and Purses’ own collection will also be on display.
It’s all about the details
The term ‘accessory’ was first used in the 19th century. Accessories can have a practical function: gloves protect the hands from cold, and hats protect against the sun. Accessories like bags and pouches can be used to carry items that don’t fit into pockets. Traditionally, accessories have been used to decorate and distinguish. They reflect the culture of the moment and the social status of the wearer. They are as much a part of the overall fashion system as clothing, if not a component that changes more quickly than (clothing) fashion itself.
Accessories: stories about use and etiquette
Who wore a specific accessory, when and why? The Accessories are a Girl’s Best Friend exhibit tells the visitor an especially complete and historic story about a variety of accessories, their use and etiquette. The manner in which an accessory was worn for each occasion was of great significance. Sometimes, an accessory was so distinctive for a specific period that it lent its name to the period itself. Think here of the ‘Wig Era’ or the ‘millstone collar’. Accessories could also indicate time: the longer the glove, the later it was in the day.