Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/jewellery

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Minaudière

Women's fashion accessory generally considered a jewellery piece

Minaudière

Women's fashion accessory generally considered a jewellery piece

A minaudière from 1938

A minaudière, or vanity case, is a women's fashion accessory, generally considered a jewellery piece, intended to substitute for an evening bag. A case with compartments, it allows storage for several items in a small space, such as a makeup compact, lipstick, watch, reading glasses, or keys.

The minaudière appeared during the 1930s. Its invention is attributed to Charles Arpels, of Van Cleef & Arpels, but many jewellers and haute couture designers have created their own models.

Description

Generally metal plated and oblong, sized small enough to be held within the hand, a minaudière is a dainty accessory. The materials used to make it are most frequently rigid, with a metallic finish such as gold or silver. The exterior may be detailed with precious or semi-precious stones, or decorated with lacquer or mother of pearl. However, textile designs also exist, with cloth overlaying a frame or flexible and supple, using velour, silk or brocade fabric, embroidered or not.

Some minaudières include a lanyard or chain to place over the wrist. Other designs have a satin or velour pouch to hold the minaudière.

The interior can reveal the ingenuity of the designer. A minaudière may contain several small compartments, carefully designed to organize the owner's personal items for maximum utility.

According to fashion journalist Lloyd Boston, a minaudière constitutes an "essential" part of an evening wardrobe, a small object with no limit to its usefulness, and a "fabulous character".

Invention

According to press articles of the time the minaudière was invented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1934. Charles Arpels was inspired by watching Florence Gould, third wife of philanthropist Frank Jay Gould, toss several small, loose makeup items into a tin box.

The word "minaudière" was a French term for a coquettish woman, from the word "minauder" (to flirt or simper).

References

References

  1. Certaines minaudières sont toutefois fabriquées en matériaux moins onéreux tels l'argent ou le styptor, alliage d'argent et d'étain créé dans les années trente par Van Cleef & Arpels. Cf. Jean-Jacques Richard, ''L'Histoire des Van Cleef et des Arpels'', Books on demand, 2010.
  2. Catherine Cariou, « La Minaudière de Van Cleef & Arpels », ''Paris Joaillerie'', 5 mars 2007, [http://www.paris-joaillerie.com/paris-joaillerie/grand-ecrin/la-minaudiere-de-van-cleef-arpels.html lire en ligne] (page consultée le 16 juin 2011)
  3. {{in lang
  4. Non signé, « Le plus beau présent de Paris : la Minaudière », blog ''L'Histoire des Van Cleef et des Arpels de Paris'', [https://histoiredesvancleefetdesarpels.blogspot.com/2011/02/la-minaudiere-de-van-cleef-de-paris-en.html lire en ligne] (page consultée le 16 juin 2011)
  5. "Minaudière". Oxford University Press.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

jewellery 1930s-introductions
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Minaudière — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report