A Fancy Flourish: Mary Frances Handbags
Fabulous, Fanciful, Fascinating, Fantastic, Flamboyant…these are some of the words that come to mind when taking in this collection of Ninety-Nine beaded and embellished handbags created by California-based designer Mary Frances.
A celebrated fashion industry leader, Mary Frances has taken a vision and passion for embellishment and design and created a successful international corporation. While scaling her business this female-owned company has been included in INC. Magazine’s annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mary was surrounded by vibrant local artisans and a diverse population, which influenced and inspired her work from an early age. Drawing from her love of nature and travel, each design reflects her passions. Her bags are eclectic; you can find beautiful textures and motifs ranging from florals, music, and animals to intricate and whimsical pattern work evoking fish scales, buried treasure, and mosaic tiles.
Her goal is to bring a sense of joy and beauty through her designs while always working with socially compliant partners to craft beautiful products. Frances says it takes roughly three days to complete one bag.
This collection was assembled by Cecilia Stevens who had a beautiful life and a vibrant personality. These pieces truly embody the collector’s spirit and zest. She displayed her purse collection as art throughout her home, on shelves and walls and staircases, arranging the purses to best catch the eye and show off the riotous and radiant designs.
99 beaded bags on the wall, 99 beaded bags…If you could take one down which would it be?
Donor: John Stevens in honor of his late wife Cecelia Stevens. Cecilia was a native of Syracuse, New York, after raising a family in New York and Maryland, Cecila and John moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1991.
Avenir Museum no. 2011.182—2011.297
