Chocolate Brown Corde Bag. 1940s. Maker: Genuine Corde. Simple rectangular cord-style fabric bag with goldtone closure. The clasp is unusual in that it’s a U-shaped fork. Which is an odd way to describe it, but I like to vary my adjectives. And nouns. And, sometimes, my adverbs. Daringly taking great chances!

Dark Brown Corde Bag. 1940s. Maker: Genuine Corde, Ador Bag Co. Rich, dark brown-bordering-on-black cord fabric bag with interesting geometric pattern on the front. I have a small collection of Corde handbags and this is one of my older and more ornate ones. In the picture, it’s hanging on my Victorian-era brass dining room mirror, but I usually keep it in my bedroom, on a wrought iron Moorish-style decorative holder, with another Corde bag and the cut velvet bag from the previous post. Purses make great art!

Cut Velvet Evening Bag. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Created in the style of Victorian handbags, this cut velvet bag, circa the ‘60s, is done in a raised leafy beige pattern on a dark brown background. It has an ornate goldtone closure and chain handles. I adore texture and this one is very fun to fondle. Does that make me a “pursevert?”

Courtly Gentleman Handbag. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Mesh fabric bag with a swirled pattern (front side only) of glued-on multicolored seed beads and green velvet leaves, which have green glitter glued to their edges. In the center is a needlepoint courtly gentleman, resembling one of the Three Musketeers (the guys, not the candy bars). There are also some jewels around the gentleman. I have a feeling this is a Caron of Houston purse, but there’s no label. Caron’s labels were generally glued and not sewn, so they do sometimes fall off due to age. Love these "busy" bags!

Note: I’ll be gone to Las Vegas this weekend and am taking my ‘60s gold casino purse with me. I’ll let you know if a high-roller makes me an offer I can’t refuse. For the purse, that is.

Leather Tooled Roses Purse. 1970s. Maker: Unknown. Stiff dark brown leather purse with a long shoulder strap, probably made in Mexico, featuring tooled roses and leaves on the top and sides. The leaves are tinted green. This bag reminds me of my teenagerhood—the good part, that is. Ah, '70s fashion!

Bejeweled Train Handbag. 1960s. Maker: Souré Bag New York. Wonderful large tweedy purse with ivory vinyl accents and a beaded and sequined train, done in the style of many such Collins-era bags. This beauty makes quite a statement about choo-choos. I’m almost tempted to take a train ride somewhere just so I can show her off.

Golden Box Bag. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Gold lamé oblong box-style purse, circa the ‘60s, encrusted in beads, sequins, flowers and leaves. Snap closure. Inside mirror. I have to call it an “unknown” because there’s no manufacturer's tag, but I'm reasonably certain it is a Caron of Houston. Caron is known for its black fabric bags with similar beadwork on the front, but I see these shmancy gold ones listed online every once in a while. It’s sweet, and, unlike envelope-style evening purses, you can easily fit a cell phone and lipstick in it. And, of course, the keys to your Ferrari, dahling.

Roadrunner Wooden Box Bag. 1960s. Maker: Gary Gails. Very small wood box bag made by designer Gary Gails of Dallas, featuring a hand-painted roadrunner, cacti and the hot desert sun on the front. Gary Gails’ bags were often made of wood, in the Collins style, and sometimes have his name as “Gary Gail,” without the “s.” His logo, found inside each bag, is a stylized spade, accompanied by the words “Collectors Item – (hand symbol) Decorated for You.” Many of his bags, like this one, were made in Hong Kong. This little purse is also special in that it apparently was once owned by a girl named Jennifer Womack, who put her name in pencil on the inside, near the mirror, along with her homeroom number, 221. Very sweet.

White Textured Box Bag. 1950s. Maker: Unknown. Oval box-style purse in a textured off-white faux leather. It looks like thousands of tiny beads are glued to the box, but I believe it’s a molded design. Reminds me of the cottage cheese you see on old ceilings. Or spackle. Or something else you’d find at Home Depot.

Lucite Clutch with Square Gems. 1950s. Maker: Unknown. Marbleized pearl white plastic clutch purse with goldtone hardware and interesting square pieces with inset rhinestones. The pieces are set into both sides of the bag. I saw a very similar purse online and it went for a ridiculous amount of money. I swear, one of these days, I’m going to have to sell off part of my collection and buy something fabulous—like health insurance. (P.S. Happy Birthday to my eldest, who is 19 today. Now go get a job!)

Textured Poodle Tote. 1960s. Maker: Unknown. Large tweed tote purse featuring gold leather handles, base and closure. Tons of sequins, jewels and glitter accent this playful poodle frolicking in a flower garden. I paid $28 (on sale, not including sales tax or the gasoline to schlep to the antique mall) for this purse, which is not in the greatest condition—frayed handles, missing gems, loose sequins, etc. $28 doesn’t sound like much for a cool bag, but I pride myself on paying a lot less to get a lot more. This, however, was just so unique, with its maximum mixed media. I have several poodle bags, but I liked this one because, well, it has so much going on. An excellent purse for someone with a very short attention span. Like, um, me.