Bringing nostalgia for summer's ephemeral hold while beckoning the rub of soft cashmere around the neck...
But, that's enough of that.
I won't be discussing the lovely colors of Fall or fun ideas for Halloween.
(You don't read this newsletter for anything that is expected, I hope!)
This month, apart from reminding you about my upcoming events (big blowout sale THIS SUNDAY at the studio!), allow me to introduce the idea of MIILK, brought to you from the world of TINY PURSES.
It's an acronym!
Money
I.D.
Lipstick
Keys
These are the essential things a lady needs to put into her bag for a night out.
Which is great. Because there is physically no room for anything else.
Personally, I am not a MILK bag kind of girl.
Me at a party, 2017
But, many are! The concept comes from the queen of fancy little bags: Judith Leiber.
I read my fair share about Holocaust survivors who go on to revolutionize some aspect of culture, but this one is superlative.
She turned her skill at working leather in a shattered, post-war Europe, into a multi-million dollar, New York City based, fashion business with a hardcore fan base ready to pay thousands of dollars for her creations.
Let's dig in.
1921 -Born Judith Peto to assimilated Jews in the then Austro-Hungarian city of Budapest.
1945 - Her family survives the Nazi occupation of Budapest by hiding in a building for Jews and a house for Swiss citizens. Three of her uncles are shot by the Nazis for refusing to wear the Star of David.
A Hungarian gendarme checks a woman entering the Munkács ghetto
1946 - She marries Gerson (Gus) Leiber, a US Army Signal Corps sergeant who was stationed in Budapest, and they move to New York City in 1947. Gerson goes on to become a renowned painter, featuring in museums from Philadelphia to Jerusalem.
1963 - After working for various bag manufacturers sprinkled across the Garment District of Manhattan, she opens her own business, and quickly gains fame for her minaudieres - exquisitely crafted, small evening bags in unusual shapes, often encrusted with rhinestones.
70s, 80, 90s - Her bags gain popularity among first ladies and then celebrities. They are sold in the most exclusive boutiques and department stores across the country.
Jennifer Lopez, Lily Aldridge, and Blake Lively carrying Judith Leiber clutches
1998 - she sells her company for $18 million and retires. Her purses enter museum collections across the United States.
2005 - Wanting to preserve their artistic legacies, the Leibers open a museum across from their home in East Hampton. It features both Gerson's paintings and Judith's bags.
Gerson Leiber's painting "Mazes of Hedges", 1998
2008 - one of her bags gets featured in the Sex and the City movie. Apparently,
a cupcake Swarovski crystal-covered clutch is responsible for Carrie getting stood up at the altar!
2018 - Judith passes away just hours after her husband, Gus.
Portrait of Gus and Judith by Will Barnet
in 2024 Rarejule Vintage acquires four Judith Leiber bags, available in person in the Evanston home studio or in the online shop!
2024, Summer - I attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibit Sleeping Beauties where I get to appreciate many a Leiber that is part of the "seashell" section display.
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So, back to M-I-L-K ...
I scoured the Internet and consulted the A.I. gods about the actual source of the MILK concept and Leiber and only found it as hearsay. If YOU can find me an actual quote by her on this, I will reward you with 20% off anything in my shop!
(I used to work as a fact-checker and it's really bugging me!)
Me, back in the day...