Celebrity

During her lifetime, Jackie Kennedy became a major fashion force, and her affinity for one particular handbag prompted fashion house Gucci to rename the bag in her honor. 

Published on June 10, 2022

Over the years, a few celebrities have made an indelible imprint on pop culture. These celebrity figures have become not just invaluable figures in entertainment but also fashion icons—people like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn stand as prime examples. However, no one style icon is more inimitable than former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of John F. Kennedy. During her lifetime, she became a major fashion force, and her affinity for one particular handbag prompted fashion house Gucci to rename the bag in her honor. 

Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Kennedy was a style icon

Jackie Kennedy first rose to prominence as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. Her incomparable style and graceful personality set a precedent that all other White House residents would attempt to copy in the years, and people couldn’t get enough of her beautiful, tasteful fashion choices.

After the tragic death of JFK in 1963, Jackie Kennedy distanced herself from Washington in an attempt to keep herself and her children safe. But while she took a step back from the public eye, people loved her no less.

In the ’70s, Kennedy was spotted carrying the G1244 bag by Gucci, which was originally released in 1961. According to L’Officiel, Kennedy often carried the understated hobo bag as an accessory to match her iconic tortoiseshell glasses. Eventually, Gucci renamed the bag in her honor, dubbing the style the “Jackie” bag. 

Is the ‘Jackie’ bag by Gucci still available?

L’Officiel notes that the bag became synonymous with Jackie Kennedy, and she was seen carrying it all over New York City for years. She helped to popularize the silhouette, and eventually, other celebrities started carrying the bag. Over the years, the Jackie 1961 has been reimagined numerous times, with Gucci releasing numerous updated versions of the handbag.

In 2020, Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele released a revived version of the bag in the Fall/Winter collection, proving that good fashion never goes out of style. The Jackie 1961 is currently available to shop on the Gucci website, in numerous colorways and several different sizes. If you want to take home your own Jackie 1961, you can snag the small size shoulder bag for around $2600 – with the mini version costing slightly less and the medium version priced at around $2800.

Other celebrities who have had handbags named after them

Jackie Kennedy might be one of the most famous examples of celebrities who have had handbags named after them, but several women inspired their own signature accessories.

The Birkin bag, a status symbol carried by everyone from members of the Kardashian family to big-name movie stars, was named after model Jane Birkin, according to L’Officiel. Former Hermès head Jean-Louis Dumas met Birkin by chance on a flight, where he started chatting with the iconic model about the features that her ideal bag would have – features like pockets and sufficient space to store all of her essentials. Dumas took her recommendations into account and designed what everyone now knows as the Birkin bag.

The Lady Dior bag by fashion house Dior took inspiration for its stylish, square bag from Princess Diana, who became a devotee of the bag in 1995. Originally, the handbag design didn’t have a name, but after Princess Diana ordered every available version of the bag, Dior opted to rename it in her honor. The Lady Dior bag is still closely associated with the late Princess Diana, one of the most recognizable and stylish women in the world.

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