In Milan in via Melzo, near the popular shopping street Corso Buenos Aires, is one of the finest shops in the city, British Box, a boutique selling perfumes, fragrances, male- grooming products and handbags. These are not any bags, not even designer bags, but nothing less than the handbags of Queen Elizabeth, the famous Launer, square, rigid, with two handles, in brightly coloured leathers, produced by a much “appointed” maker (i.e. those individuals holding ‘Royal Warrants of Appointment’). Almost all the official photos show the impeccable sovereign, dressed in improbable pastel colours, with the inevitable Launer on her arm. In England they are mythical, so much so that the Berkley Hotel serves miniature marzipan bags for the five o’ clock tea.
Featuring elaborate gilded small parts, the Launer bags arrive in Italy thanks to an unconventional merchant, refined men’s fashion journalist, an enthusiast of heritage treasures in the field of fashion and design. One should keep an eye on him. Chances are that there will soon be a new season for accessories. The era of big bags, where to put everything without any distinction at all, is over. A new season is announced, with handbags which should be very small containing little more than a handkerchief, as recommended in a whisper by the sales assistant of the Hermès boutique,rue du Faubourg, Saint Honoré in Paris, when describing the Kelly mignon.
WHERE: British Box, Via Melzo 34, Milano, Italy