The Prada Mini Clutch: A Small Case with a Mirror and a Tassel Cord
2 min read
Photography and object: The Archivary
Some bags are made to carry a day's belongings. Others are made to carry almost nothing: a lipstick, a key, a folded note. This Prada clutch of the 2000s belongs to the second kind. It measures only 8 by 5.5 by 3 centimetres, has a mirror inside, and hangs from a black cord strap finished with tassels.
Prada
Prada was founded in Milan in 1913 by Mario Prada, as a shop selling leather goods, travel articles and accessories in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. His granddaughter Miuccia Prada joined the company in the 1970s and took over its direction, and in the following decades the house grew from a leather goods business into a fashion house with ready-to-wear and accessories.
Prada became known for an approach to luxury that often favoured unexpected materials and restrained design. Its accessories of the 1990s and 2000s range from practical nylon bags to small evening pieces like this one.
A clutch in miniature
The body of the bag is formed by black plastic sides, with shiny silver-tone metalware. It opens at the top with a clutch closure carrying a logo detail, and the Prada logo is printed at the front. Inside is a mirror, which turns the bag into something close to a compact or a vanity case.
The strap is a black cord, 90 centimetres in total length, with tassel details. Long enough to be worn across the body or over the shoulder, it lets a very small object be carried without being held.
The object
The Archivary describes the bag as a 2000s Prada mini clutch with black plastic sides, shiny silver metalware, a top clutch closure with logo detail, a printed front logo, an inside mirror and a black cord strap with tassel details. It is recorded in excellent condition and comes with its box and papers.
The Archivary documents the objects, images and cultural moments that shape fashion history.