Minaudière
Designer
Judith Leiber
(1921 - 2018)
1980
Rhinestone pavé
Gift of Mr. Gerson Leiber
Object number88.95.1
Hungarian-American designer Judith Leiber was best known for small, decorative clutch bags—known as minaudières—that were encrusted with Swarovski crystals. Carried by celebrities on the red carpet and by U.S. first ladies to the Inaugural Ball, these novelty bags use audaciously luxurious materials to create highly visible wearable sculptures. Leiber partially credited her survival during the Holocaust to her daydreams about creating whimsical purses.
DescriptionMinaudière, miniature evening bag shaped as a duck, in iridescent and clear rhinestone pavéCollections
Exhibitions