Timeless Vintage Handbags

Vintage handbags represent more then history; they are timeless capsules that bring us back to the golden age of movie stars and fashion.  A vintage purse symbolizes an era, and captures a moment in design history.  Quality handbags from previous eras are still available today and have become an increasingly popular accessory choice.

During the 1930’s the smartly dressed woman would have several handbags.  She would have a purse for the afternoon, one for traveling, one for evenings out on the town, and for Sunday church.  The materials of these purses were often made of…  organic material – skins such as crocodile, lizard, snakeskin, and pigskin.  The style or shape of these handbags was often rectangular and rather flat.

During the 1940’s natural skins were still being used, and leather styles were being redesigned.  But what was new in the 1940’s was the introduction rubber as a purse material.  The company “Pirelli” became a supplier to handbag manufacturers and the fashion scene began to see more colorful purses made out of rubber.

During the 1950’s the fashion handbag savvy woman knew the country to watch was Italy.  The most popular material was leather because of its various properties that lend itself to being a great material to make purses out of.  Leather can be dyed and it can be soft, but is also really durable, a necessary trait for a material that is to be turned into an often used object.  Other materials became available in the 1950’s for handbags, including plastic.  Purses became more functional, practical and the size choices increased, both larger and smaller than previously.  A style called the “sausage” style was popular and stayed popular through the next decade.  Pink suede was also popular as was other colorful leather.

During the 1960’s  the fashion designer, Chanel, became a hit with the youth fashion crowd when the shiny black patent leather bag with its long gilt chain strap hit the scene.  The Op Art movements of the 1960’s trickled down to the fashion industry and PVC purses became popular for their black and white, as well as bright and reflective, angular designs.  Soon the “flower power” fashion took over and the handbag designers followed suit creating many new hip, psychedelic patterns to capture this new generation of customer.  By the end of the 1960’s the handbag fashion market started focusing on designs that seemed to have an eastern influence.  (I wonder how much that had to do with the music industry and what the mega-groups such as the Beatles, were doing?…)  The handbags became larger and the primary materials were often fabric.

During the 1970’s handbags saw a change again.  This time the materials became more mixed up and informal.  We saw different types of fabrics on the same piece, and leather purses also became mixed with patchwork styles.  Large purses were still popular, and we began to see the envelope style also become quite popular.  Designers adapted to these different style trends, and even were the trend setters, as designers often are.  That is good news because the quality materials designers used help the handbags to wear well.

Vintage handbags can be purchased in a number of different venues, including vintage shops, estate sales, and online auctions, such as eBay.