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| Nina's Bags for NYSD by Nina Griscom What woman doesn’t love handbags? They’re as much an expression of who we are as our shoes or hairstyle, and God knows we never seem to tire of buying them. If only men would get this. Since closing my home design store in New York several years ago, I’d been left with a creative itch that hadn’t been scratched. With each passing year, that itch had become worse. No need for ugly depictions.
As luck would have it, I ran across a pal in the Graphic Image booth who had a mouth-watering array of divine leather bags and accessories for sale. I snapped up leather cell phone cases, kindle covers, canvas totes with leather trim (I took one on safari to Africa), embossed croc leather jot pads, chic wallets and all kinds of treats. I was immediately hooked on the brand, and began ordering these items in multiple colors on a seasonal basis (I am a freak and admit to changing the accessories in my bag at least 3 times a year with a new palette). I can’t remember the particular “#####” moment last year when I arrived at the brilliant notion to design a small line of handbags, but I was very clear from the get-go that I wanted to work with GIGI New York. Once I had made contact with Tom Glazer, President of Graphic Image, (the parent company of GIGI NewYork) and initiated preliminary discussions with him I started to think about what kind of handbags I would like to produce. |
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| I began by spending hundreds of hours flipping through old magazines and the pages of vintage fashion books, looking at bags. That exercise helped put me straight about what I did NOT want! No obvious hardware, no logos, no trendy embellishments, no weird shapes. It became clear that I wanted to design a line of beautiful luxury handbags crafted from the finest materials that were fashion forward, with a signature embellishment made of a natural material that might change from season to season. The look would be “tweaked classic." When I examined my own personal stash of handbags that I’ve squirreled away like a nasty pack rat over a 30 year collecting history, I found myself gravitating towards the bags that were classically designed — as they still look great and have withstood the test of time. They’ve even gone the full loop and become cool again. The trendy ones looked like cheap copper pennies in the pile, screaming 1985 or whatever year they were spawned. |
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| The next step involved identifying 4 shapes that were chic that I felt women would really want to carry, and also address their life situations. The “Lily Tote” speaks to the needs of a woman who has a busy professional or personal life, and needs lots of pockets and space in a chic luxury bag. It can go from lunch on Madison Avenue to the office. I was so proud of it I wanted to name it the “Nina.” My 21-year-old daughter Lily loved it so much that of course I named it the “Lily." For women who don’t want a large bag, the clutch is the shape that is the rage right now. Though I really don’t like trendy fashion, it’s a retro classic that is cool. So I decided to go with this as a day bag (the “Nina”). It actually holds more than a cell phone. You can pack in all your normal day stuff and this bag will still hold its shape. |
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| I still like the idea of the barrel bag, so I tweaked the basic shape; made it softer and rounder, for the woman who wants a sportier weekend bag that can also be used in town and for work. The bag is named the “Nora,” for my beautiful Argentine mother-in-law, Nora Piraino. For evening, I came up with an elegant little expandable envelope bag that holds plenty of what you need when going out to a restaurant or for a casual night with friends: cell, brush, lipstick, money, keys etc. I love this one and it is named the “Elizabeth,” after my fabulous, elegant mother, Elizabeth Rohatyn. At this stage of the game, it was time to go with my designs to the GIGI NewYork factory in Melville, NY to meet with Tom Glazer to hash out our agreement and meet with his in house designer Amanda Kinsley to select the hides and hardware for the proposed bags. |
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| Our meeting was stimulating. Tom took me on a tour and gave me a 101 on the thousands of hides in their inventory. I learned a great deal about where all the GIGI bags are produced — huge amounts of leather goods supplied to wholesale accounts such as Harrod’s in London, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman’s, Barney’s and many others. I had a LOT to learn about the range of hardware for bags, different grades of lining materials (canvas, linen, cloth or suede), what to use for dust bags, qualities of zippers, and more. We all agreed that the Nina Griscom for GIGI New York line of bags would be a luxury product, using top of the line materials such as the best hair calf, French calfskin, suede lining, and top notch brass hardware. My idea for the natural element for this collection’s closures was Horn. |
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| There were many meetings involving the selection of hair calf hides, French calfskin hides, hardware, horn samples from Europe, for the zipper pulls and closures; and suede lining choices — before the bags were actually cut and produced. After 15 months of work, patience and perseverance on all sides, the Nina Griscom for GIGI New York luxury bags was introduced and is being sold at the GIGI New York retail store at 28 Jobs Lane in Southampton, New York. We are also at the Hampton Classic in the Boutiques Garden throughout the event from yesterday, August 25th to Monday, September 1st. GIGI New York is the perfect company for me to be with for so many reasons. All my bags are 100% made in America by a family owned company. |
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