Armbag

Armbags are an item of fashion that have spread around the Federation since the 2380s.

Description

Most armbags are formed either like a cylinder or like a cone. They are usually made from textile or leather. Some armbags have a metal-framework which is fixed to the forearm by two rings that keep the construction stable. Those frames can consist of a variable number of arches running from the elbow to the wrist. In order to make the forearm appear more natural the arches can be folded.

Other designs make no use of arches at all. They are usually more flexible due to more elastic textile being used. These designs consist of two rings placed at the elbow and at the wrist to keep the textile between. Both designs can be opened and closed either by a zip-line or other sorts of closure.

Some designers went very far away from this classical concept of an armbag and created some that could be worn at upper arm instead. They looked very much like traditional handbags except for the fact that they were more often shaped like a cone with it's bottom side at the elbow.

Origin&History

Vesta II joined the Federation in 2355 when it started travelling with Warp speed. Very soon the Vestari noticed that their range of technology is far behind Federation standards. But since their planet has stayed untouched by industry and there was almost no pollution at all, it became a paradise for tourists very soon. Much like Risa they decided to offer a holiday world and buy the Federation's technology. But Vesta II did not drop all of its industry. Some very traditional branches of industry stayed part of economy. Amongst these was the production of what the Vestari called armbags.

With more and more tourists coming to Vesta II, some of them liked the idea of armbags very much. Since the early 2360s, armbags were worn in other parts of the Federation, too. But it was not until the late 70s, when the tourists started to buy larger amounts of armbags for their relatives. One decade later, other worlds had to start produce armbags because the traditional production on Vesta II reached its limits. In the beginning, Vestari tailors were asked for assistance, but very soon some tailors started experimenty of their own with the concept of armbags.

Depending on the material used, different designs and many other aspects, a huge range of armbags started to appear. Armbags that could be worn at the upper arm came up and some designers even tried out if legbags might prove a good idea. But most of these ideas didn't work or weren't bought.

In the end, there were only two ways of wearing armbags left. Either one would simply wear an armbag at the left or right side or one would wear two. Some designers of the 24th century valued symmetry over practical use. Others did not. This issue became one of the most debated topics of all fashion weeks since 2389.

Usage

Depending on its size the handbag can provide either enough space for cosmetics, small Data-PADDs, latinum slips and many other items or can only contain one or two things. Armbags were originally worn by men but later women adopted this item and started to use armbags, too. At the time, Federation tourists spread armbags in the whole Federation, it was worn by mean and women alike.

Although its usage is spread around the whole Federation by now, there are still many competetive products. Alternatives for instance are Human backpacks and handbags. But most of these bags were not considered a good combination with the very tight suits of 24th century.

Tight fashion was appreciated by many people because of two reasons. First of all, it represented an ideal of a body image. The Federation proclaimed that nobody was to be discriminated due to his or her or its body. The more pragmatic reason was that such suits offered very much mobility. The tissue used was 'breathing' and therefore the clothing felt like a second skin. People had no use for pockets anymore and abandoned them in many regions. One would take as much, as can be taken with two hands.

Of course handbags and other sorts of bags never fully disappeared, but they were banned from fashion shows for decades. Even when wavy clothing was in vogue, handbags didn't return. After some time, armbags finally got to the studios of the Federation's great fashion designers. From that time on, handbags were combined with outfits that weren't completely tight or even wavy.