This Cartier Bag Is Inspired By Their Iconic Red Box, & We're Obsessed

By Kate Marin

Best known for its incredible selection of fine jewelry and pristine watches, Cartier is recognized for producing goods of the highest quality — all with craftsmanship at their core. With decades of business under its belt, Cartier simultaneously cherishes its history as it writes it, tying iconic elements of the brand’s past into each new piece it produces. It’s this celebration of heritage that’s beautifully depicted in its new collection of lust-worthy bags, Guirlande de Cartier.

Inspired by the brand’s red jewelry boxes marked with a gold guirlande (“garland”), Guirlande de Cartier is a sized-up version made for everyday use. Its shape was influenced by jewelry bags of the 1910s (a structured octagon with a rounded top handle) but made contemporary, functional, and elegant. With a detachable cross-body strap and inner compartments, Guirlande de Cartier was designed for the modern woman — a union of function and form.

What truly makes Guirlande a work of Cartier is that just as much thought and care went into what is seen as is unseen: The bag’s inside is lined with smooth leather, rather than the black velvet found in traditional jewelry bags of the early 1900s, and a secret pocket in the bag’s interior hides a convenient gold-plated mirror stamped with Cartier’s three native cities (Paris, London, and New York) for on-the-go touch-ups.

From its exterior, Guirlande is a celebration of Cartier’s great jewelry heritage and expertise in leatherwork. Wrapped in an ultra-luxe, supple calfskin leather and embossed with the same gold guirlande found on Cartier’s traditional red jewelry boxes, Guirlande de Cartier collection fuses the classic with the modern. The four current colorways (black, camel, green, and red leather) were selected with care, as these are the very colors used traditionally on jewelry boxes throughout Cartier history. The inspiration and guiding hand behind Guirlande makes it that much more fascinating.

The current collection of Guirlande offers three sizes to suit different wardrobes and styling needs. So whether you’re looking to upgrade your signature handbag for daily use, supplement your wardrobe with a standout accessory, or invest in a piece of history, Cartier’s Guirlande de Cartier collection is definitely one to consider — and surely one we will be lusting after for years to come.