Fashion is a great way to express yourself, but it can also be functional. As one of the most popular style icons, Princess Diana knew how to make an outfit work for her, and that always included a clutch or handbag. Something that people may not know is that Princess Diana would use her clutches to cover her cleavage when she got out of cars to protect her modesty from the invasive paparazzi.
Using a clutch or handbag for something other than its intended purpose is fairly common among the royal family. It is said that Queen Elizabeth will use her handbag to send signals to her staff when she wants a conversation to end or she needs discreet help in an emergency. Depending on where she places her handbag or if it changes hands will let her staff know what the Queen needs without saying a word.
Designer Anya Hindmarch would often supply clutches to Princess Diana and said she was a lovely person to be around. Hindmarch also spoke about the importance of handbags in fashion and how they serve as a form of self-expression for the wearer. Applying that to Princess Diana’s style would mean she was classy and elegant with superb taste. Even when using her bag to cover herself up, she always had a clever solution to every problem.
Princess Diana’s memory lives on with her children and grandchildren. Already, Princess Charlotte has been seen in some adorable outfits that show a sense of self-expression. She is following in the footsteps of her grandmother as well as her mom, Kate Middleton, who is also known for having an excellent eye for fashion. Read on to learn more about the way handbags are used by the royal family.
One of the defining characteristics of fashion is that it allows us to express ourselves. According to Hindmarch, you can tell a lot about a person by their choice of handbag. She said:
“You know how we look at men’s shoes to sum them up? Well, it’s the same with women and their bags. Accessories are how women accent their character; they are a form of self-expression. If you see someone carrying a tatty, beaten-up handbag, full of crumbs, doesn’t it kind of make you wonder if their house is just like that, too?”
In a more literal sense, Queen Elizabeth uses her handbags to send her staff secret messages. “It would be very worrying if you were talking to the Queen and saw the handbag move from one hand to the other,” royal historian Hugo Vickers said, according to Good Housekeeping. Discretion is key for the royal family, who need to keep up appearances at all times.
Part of the reason for this is to keep up pretenses. The Queen would never want to seem rude. “It would be done very nicely,” Vickers adds. “Someone would come along and say, ‘Sir, the Archbishop of Canterbury would very much like to meet you.'”
There are other handbag signals as well. If the Queen places her handbag on the dinner table then that means she is ready for the event to end in the next five minutes. If the bag is placed on the floor, that is a sign for her lady-in-waiting to come and intervene in the conversation.
Kate Middleton does something similar with her handbags while greeting guests. While she is at an event, the Duchess holds her bag in front of her in both hands to avoid shaking hands whenever necessary. This way, she avoids any awkwardness, and can always move the bag to one hand if she needs to.
It is customary not to place a clutch or handbag under your arm, as this is seen as rude. It is also not proper etiquette to place your bag on a table or the floor. Tucking it behind your chair is best, according to Good Housekeeping.
Princess Diana also had a mind for etiquette and was always kind to those around her. Hindmarch shared with Telegraph, “She was a very loyal customer and a lot of fun. She would come and see us with no bodyguards or any fuss.”
In an effort to stay modest, Princess Diana would use her “cleavage bags” to cover herself. Hindmarch described where the term came from, saying, “We used to laugh when we designed what she called her ‘cleavage bags,’ little satin clutches which she would cover her cleavage with when she stepped out of cars.”
In the same interview, Hindmarch spoke about replacing plastic bags with totes or other handbags. She said, “Then I thought, hey, how about using fashion to persuade people it’s cool not to use a plastic bag? Fashion designers can persuade people to wear drainpipe jeans, after all.”
The designer added that as the daughter of a businessman who made his money in Plastics, she was not speaking out against the material. Hindmarch explained, “(My father) says we shouldn’t demonize plastic and he’s right. It is an incredibly clever, light, cheap material. The key is not wasting it.”
What do you think of the clever use of Princess Diana’s clutches? Would you do something like this? Let us know and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family.
