Shopping Bag Masterpieces!

For over 100 years, one retail mecca not only brought its customers the best of the fashion world, it boldly went where no store has gone before. Creating a slew of designer shopping bags highlighting anything from a seasonal event to a launch of a new fragrance. These satchels of commerce quickly became collectors items and I was fortunate to have collected most of them. Of course, I'm talking about Bloomingdale's. "Bloomie's" as it was known to by its fans, is the quintessential place to browse, shop, buy and mingle with the famous and infamous, but from the 1960's through the early 1990's it was known as a mecca, a museum of retail-ology not found much anymore today. For it was Bloomie's that originated and perfected the promotion of anything and everything imaginable. Remember the "Pet Rock", it was featured first at Bloomie's. Both Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan started their careers there as well.


Who would've thought that something used to carry out a purchase would become a pop-culture classic and highly collectible around the world? Bloomingdale's classic "big brown bag" is as much of an icon as "Coca-Cola" is today.


Rather then give you individual pictures of some 60+ bags I've collected over the years, I decided to make a collage and link it to YouTube. I would appreciate any and all feedback and if you notice in the film, there are a few "unknown" bags I would certainly appreciate any help on their identities.