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American originals

Leiber also began an American tradition, a very strategic one, of sending a handbag to the White House with each inauguration. Almost every first lady after Jacqueline Kennedy – except Rosalyn Carter – has been pictured carrying a Judith Leiber clutch. The iconic minaudières also found a permanent home in design history in collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Today the Judith Leiber company maintains its exclusivity with its handmade haute bling, which typically costs several thousand dollars, available at a handful of Judith Leiber boutiques and at select retail stores including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.

There’s one other place Leiber lovers can find the bags and that’s at the Leiber Museum, which she and her husband created in Springs, Long Island,  in 2005. The museum showcases Gerson’s artwork and 1,000 encased pieces of Leiber’s reclaimed eye candy.

Ironically, since her retirement Leiber has embarked on a great mission to find and buy back her original creations, turning to eBay and consignment shops. In her hunt, she’s finding proof that original Judith Leiber bags retain value.