The Importance Of Being Earnest

Gyles Brandreth to star as Lady Bracknell

The moment when posh and prim Lady Bracknell says “A handbag” in the Oscar Wilde play is, argueably, one of the most well known in British and Irish theatre.

In case you’ve forgotten, the plot is a parody of class and manners and hinges, in typical Victorian style, on a case of mixed up identity. In this case baby Jack Worthing was found abandoned in a handbag. Jack keeps the bag and, later when he’s grown up, is able to produce it to prove who he really is.

The fearsome Lady B and the handbag as baby carrier are back in the public eye because the play has been turned into a musical. I suppose it didn’t do George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion any harm when it became My Fair Lady.

And in even better news – or at least I think it’s better, but I can’t quite make up my mind. Gyles Brandreth – former MP and hideous jumper wearer – is to play Lady Bracknell. I’m not quite sure about a man playing a woman anywhere but panto and, besides, there are lots of actresses who could do justice to the role. On the other hand, I think Gyles will make an excellent Lady B. You can just imagine him enunciating: “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.”

But back to the bag, it’s key to plot, first it carried a manuscript for the novel the nursemaid was writing and then it held a baby. And English scholars have written essays explaining what the handbag stands for in the play. Personally, I think it represents the fact that everyone needs a good handbag, just in case a baby accidently gets left in it.

In a handbag-related twist, a first edition of the play was found inside a handbag in an Oxfam shop in 2007. It sold for £650.

The play says the handbag is black leather, “somewhat large” and with handles. It certainly set a trend that has run and run. Black bags are still the most popular choice.

But if the play can get a makeover that sees a man play a woman, what if the bag could be orange or animal skin. Maybe patent leather or patterned…

Florence and Fernie, a wonderful shop in the village of Kilmacolm has began to stock some of our handbags! Florence and Fernie is a showcase for floral, garden and interior design, combining a clever mix of contemporary, vintage and organically inspired elements.  It is filled with constantly changing stock consisting of internationally sourced flowers direct from the supplier, a wonderful array of unique hand-selected products for the home from Europe, along with beautiful handmade silver jewellery, scarves and  now leather bags from VVA!

Check out the pictures here:

Kilmacolm is approximately 20 mins from the centre of Glasgow, heading towards the airport and Bridge of Weir. The village has a variety of other shops and coffee shops where you can pass the time away from the hussle and bustle of the city. Come and visit!