By Maribeth Keane and Bonnie Monte
Collector's Weekly
September 23rd, 2010
In this exclusive interview, Judith Leiber—handbag designer to red carpet celebs, opera stars, and First Ladies—looks back on her rich and storied career. Leiber’s vintage evening bags can easily fetch thousands of dollars, and one of the most avid collectors of those iconic originals is Leiber herself, who continues to acquire pieces for the East Hampton, New York, museum she and her husband, Gerson, founded in 2005. To date, Leiber has collected roughly 900 of her own bags, about 200 of which are on view. For more information, visit leibermuseum.org
When I was a girl, my mother had a lot of wonderful handbags. My dad traveled often in Western Europe. Every time he came home he brought her a beautiful bag. Some of the bags came from Vienna, where my mother was born and raised. She also had bags from France, England, and Spain. My father used to buy them from all over the place.