Margaret Thatcher’s Purses Wildly Popular Since Her Death

Margaret Thatcher’s fashion choices were widely analyzed throughout her life, and even more so in the days since her death. But her signature handbags always held a special significance: Her ability to get her way was nicknamed “handbagging” — i.e., to bang her metaphorical handbag on the table and stubbornly insist that her demands be met. The brand is also favored by the Queen.

Thatcher carried her two favorite designs, the Bellini and the Adagio, for decades. Surely not by coincidence, Launer reported that those two styles have surged in popularity over the past two weeks. According to the Telegraph, the company experienced a 53 percent increase in sales since Thatcher’s passing, with major spikes on the day of her death and during her funeral on Wednesday. Journey with us through some of her more memorable handbag moments in our slideshow.

Update: This post has been changed. Gerald Bodmer sent a handbag to the Queen in 1968, not to Thatcher.