The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje Museum of Bags and Purses is the place to go to see absolutely exquisite handbags and other accessories from the 16th century to modern day. If it’s extremely rare or one-of-a-kind, it’s probably there.
I would expect an entire museum dedicated to handbags to have some interesting items, but I have to admit that one of their current exhibits caught me a little off guard. The display of “Beastie Bags” highlights bags made from or inspired by animals.
However, it’s not the somewhat normal crocodile or tortoise shell purses that intrigue me. No, the ones that surprise me are made from sting ray, toad, fly paper, and even from fish. I’m not talking about a fishy looking bag with scales. I mean a fish with no head and a chain attached. Weird.
One-of-a-kind doesn’t seem like a strong enough description for these kinds of handbags. And here I thought bags woven from recycled cat fur were strange.
[Image: NY Mag]
