Lots of things inform our cultural perceptions of motherhood, what it means and what it looks like, but TV is, by far, one of the most effective. If you’re around my age, you probably grew up with Roseanne, Peggy Bundy and Lorelai Gilmore on your televisions, with occasional detours to Nick at Night to watch Carol Brady, June Cleaver and Morticia Addams. (Morticia was always my favorite.)
No matter your age, though, you’re probably well familiar with all of these fictional moms; their characters and styles are that well-drawn. Below, in celebration of this weekend’s Mother’s Day, we’ve assembled some handbag picks for the entertainment world’s most iconic mothers.
Morticia Addams of “The Addams Family”
Alexander McQueen Legend Bag
$2,195 via Saks
Picking bags for some TV moms is a little tricky, but Morticia was the biggest no-brainer of the bunch. Of course she’d carry black McQueen.
June Cleaver of “Leave It to Beaver”
Mark Cross Hadley Coated Rattan Bag
$2,476 via MATCHESFASHION.COM
June is the platonic ideal of the 1950s housewife; as such, she’d carry something prim, structured and totally ladylike. The kind of bag you could take to a garden party where people eat finger sandwiches.
Carmela Soprano of “The Sopranos”
Saint Laurent Sac de Jour Bag
$3,950 via Net-a-Porter
Mob wives love a little animal print, and this is a version befitting their fictional queen.
Lucille Bluth of “Arrested Development”
Hermès Kelly Bag
Lucille is perpetually status-conscious, and for someone desperately trying to maintain the image of financial splendor, only Hermès will do.
Marge Simpson of “The Simpsons”
Paula Cademartori Dun Dun Bag
$1,480 via MATCHESFASHION.COM
Marge’s cartoon universe is made of of bold, bright colors, and so are Paula Cademartori’s bags. It’s a perfect aesthetic match.
Betty Draper of “Mad Men”
Dolce & Gabbana Embroidered Cork and Snakeskin Bag
$3,495 via Saks
Betty is a decidedly un-sunny woman with the sunniest 1960s wardrobe I’ve ever seen; the contrast is so great that you know she’s compensating for something. If any bag could temporarily lift a woman out of midcentury housewife malaise, it’s this one.
Peggy Bundy of “Married With Children”
Fendi Paillette Baguette Bag
$2,686 via MATCHESFASHION.COM
Peggy never knew when enough was enough, and Fendi manages to pull off that look with lots of sequins, lots of colors and, somehow, lots of style.
Lorelai Gilmore of “Gilmore Girls”
Marc Jacobs Incognito Bag
$2,100 via Nordstrom
Lorelai was always a strictly jeans-and-t-shirts kind of woman, and I very clearly remember her carrying a Marc Jacobs Blake Bag frequently during the show’s run. If it were on today, she would have upgraded to this one.
Roseanne Conner of “Roseanne”
Miu Miu Denim Mini Satchel
$1,450 via Saks
If there’s one thing that a Google image search for “Roseanne” tells you, it’s that she was a woman who wore a lot of denim. Once the family won the lottery in a later season, I like to think she’d have splurged on this.
Carol Brady of “The Brady Bunch”
Veld Raffia Handbag
$128 via Anthropologie
“The Brady Bunch” has one of the most recognizable aesthetics in TV history; at this point, it almost feels like a period piece. The 70s look is back in a big way, and this bag typifies the era so well that it would have probably passed muster in the wardrobe department back in the day.
Fun post!! But you forgot June Lockhart from Lassie!
This is so good.
YES! One of my fav posts!
Can’t believe Phylicia Rashad was not included. The ultimate TV mom.
I love her character and thought about including her, but with all the controversy surrounding Cosby over the past six months, I thought it would rub people the wrong way to do what could be construed as celebrating the show. It seemed best to err on the side of caution.
But this is featuring the characters, not the actresses. Regardless of Cosby controversy, The Cosby Show (and its characters) remains a classic and well-loved one. Furthermore, Roseanne says something off color about once every six months, yet she’s still included…
To us, it seemed like a situation where we would bother people if we included her and bother people if we didn’t, which is unfortunate, considering how meaningful the show was to so many people. Erring on the side of caution seemed like the way to go in this particular situation because of its recency and sensitivity.
I guess the McQueen skull clutch would have been too much of a stereotype for Morticia! Can totally envision her rocking that one for an evening though….
Lorelai Gilmore! Best Mom Ever. She also was a fan of the crossbody silhouette. Great post!
Great post, I love the match ups! This must have been a really fun one to do.
It was super fun! I could have done 15 more, probably, if not for time constraints. But–more for next year. (First up: Cookie Lyon.)
Or maybe a classier mom of color. ????
It would have been nice to see one mother of color.
We always strive to be better than the average fashion site when it comes to representation–we know it’s a huge problem in the industry and one that we can do our part to fix. We missed out on that opportunity here and will do better. That, I can promise.
And remember, some people need to find a problem when there is none. Sad that some people need to create drama over a light, fun piece. I find that offensive. It’s clear no slight was intended.
Making a comment is not creating drama. This is a blog. With comments. Comments were made. End of story.
I wasn’t creating drama or a problem because I still loved the article. Peg Bundy was actually my favorite. This is not going to stop me from reading this site. I made an observation and commented on it. I appreciated Amanda’s response, and I still will read her posts because she’s hella funny. It was constructive and not meant to start anything. You are reading way too much into a one sentence comment. There was absolutely, positively no malicious intent.
We took nothing at all malicious from it–this is a topic that I care about a lot and I’d never be offended at a reminder that it’s something to consider, especially from a commenter who has been supportive of us for a long time like you have.
Agree!
I love this! You nailed it!
I love the idea of Morticia Addams carrying an Alexander McQueen purse. The McQ Legend looks to have a great balance between classic and edgy. It also might be a wonderful alternative to the Givenchy Antigona, since not as many people have it.
LMAO This is one of the best posts ever!! And the choices for each mom are SO accurate!
Amanda NAILED IT!
What does it mean that I want the mob wife’s purse?????
It means you are a little more dangerous than you appear! And love a good leopard print 🙂
WOW! You ladies are GOOD! Every combo a perfect match.
I’m so impressed by your blog. You’re better than the top magazines.
THANK YOU! Really appreciate the kind words 🙂
Not a single mom of color, but we are fortunate to have an animated TV mom. Okay.
(Also, seems like I’m not the only one lamenting this.)
Agreed, nailed it!
Love the denim Miu Miu for Roseanne Barr. Hilarious!
the lucille bluth one was so spot on!
< col Hiiiiiii Friends….uptil I saw the paycheck saying $8736 , I have faith that my neighbour woz actualy receiving money parttime from their computer. . there friends cousin has done this 4 only about thirteen months and by now repaid the loans on there mini mansion and got a great GMC . visit their website SEE FULL DETAIL
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Great list! My favorite has to be Samantha Stephens, even though i like most of them!