Louis Vuitton City Bags: A Natural History

This expansive and exhaustive study is described as a “taxonomy” (classification; especially orderly classification of plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships). This might be construed as overreaching and oddly scientific, but Louis Vuitton City Bags is most definitely an unbelievably thorough examination of the genesis of each style of Louis Vuitton bag complete with its history.

No matter what you call it, Louis Vuitton City Bags is nothing short of remarkable in the detail paid to every single style, permutation, and generation from this fabled brand. The book takes a genealogical approach with how and why each handbag evolved and is amazingly illustrated with renderings that look like family family trees as well as photographs.

Louis Vuitton City Bags leaves no stone unturned and really might be subtitled “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a Louis Vuitton Bag and Didn’t Know You Needed to Know (But You Do).” Without exaggeration, the creators have compiled facts, drawings, data, and history that are usually afforded to the categorization and authentication of antiques or fine jewelry rather than mere handbags. One must assume that LVMH does not look upon a Louis Vuitton bag as just any handbag but as a slice of their long and revered history.

One of the amazing aspects to note is that a global company such as Louis Vuitton does the most incredible advertising, but we as consumers in the United States never get to see this. It can be ascertained from the photos in the book that what we see here in the States may well be the most mundane of the lot— which brings me to the superb reproduction quality of the photography and the overall presentation of this book, a testament itself to the most “deluxe” of luxury products.