1940s Plastic Tile Purse

Plastic Tile Clutch. 1940s. Maker: Jorues. Raised ivory-colored plastic tiles comprising a large clutch bag. Held together by light brown leather cording, which you can see through the tiles. Lined in brown fabric. Plastic zipper. Brown ribbon at the sides; one of which seems to have come loose, possibly because someone used it as a handle.

I particularly love purses with shape and dimension. These Jorues bags are similar to Plasticflex purses of the same era. The second pic shows more of my mini-collection.

1960s Simon Brothers Brown Raffia Half Circle Purse

Half Circle-Shaped Raffia Bag. 1960s. Maker: Simon Bros. Co. NY, Made in Italy. Wonderful unusually-shaped brown raffia bag with leaf-like detail on the front. The clasp is actually another piece of woven raffia that folds over and latches via a loop and button-like raffia piece. There’s a metal zipper at the top. Circular raffia handle completes the look.

I saw this many times at a local antique store and kept passing it by, but finally took the time to closely check it out. It was love at fourth—or maybe fifth—sight. I don’t have anything like this, and I realized it was a really great find.

1920s Beaded Drawstring Flapper Purse

Beaded Drawstring Flapper Purse. 1920s. Maker: Unknown. Hundreds of ivory-colored beads sewn together to form a bag. Drawstring closure. Very delicate.

I don’t have many of these very old, utterly gorgeous purses, simply because I like being able to use my vintage clothes, purses and jewelry rather than just have them for display. However, this lovely little bag found its way into a photo my kids and I were in about ten years ago. That’s us, in clothes from my collection, on my husband’s 1928 Ford Model A. The kids have since grown up, the Model A is now an awesome hot rod, and I still have those three purses. You can see the drawstring one in the lap of that angelic little darling, who’s now a junior in college!

Black Baguette with Gold Floral Motif

Black Stretch Knit Baguette with 3-D Gold Floral Motif. 1960s. Maker: Unknown, possibly Caron. Lovely black baguette-shaped bag covered in soft stretch Jersey knit fabric and then embellished with three-dimensional gold flowers, leaves, bugle beads and black trim. Coordinating strap. Gold hardware. Plain on the inside.

Caron of Houston made a lot of purses with this mixed-media approach, which is why I think it might be one of theirs. The labels were glued in and not sewn in, so it’s possible the label was lost. Scroll down to see more of my similar bags, whose makers are Caron, Soure and Spilene. And feel free to totally dig that crazy cancan girl painting, which I got years ago at a thrift store.

Needlepoint Cherries Tote Purse

Needlepoint Cherries Tote Purse. 1960s. Maker: JR Florida, USA. Navy blue woven fabric tote-style purse with needlepoint front. The needlepoint is a slightly different shade of navy blue with a fabulous large pattern of cherries and leaves. Built-in change purse. Four goldtone feet.

Regular readers of this blog know how much I love the craftsmanship of JR (Julius Resnick) purses. To see exactly how much, scroll down to the second photo.

Pair of Small Corde Clutches

Pair of Corded Clutch Purses. 1940s. Maker: No maker tag, but likely Genuine Corde. Both purses are a mix of swirling and straight lines, typical of Corde. One is brown and the other is black. Both sides of the brown are the same pattern. The black has a different corded pattern on the back, and a pocket at the front. The black is stiffened internally with cardboard. Both are very small clutches that can be used as wallets or change purses. They are lined in coordinating fabric (probably rayon) and each has a goldtone metal zipper and tiny pull. The brown (8.5") is actually a bit smaller than the black (9.25").

There is something tactilely satisfying and eye-pleasing about Corde purses. Plus, in the ‘40s, everything was made so beautifully!

Plastic Covered Floral Purse with Gold Lame Accents

Plastic Covered Floral Purse with Gold Lame Accents. 1960s. Maker: Delill Creation. Fabric tote-style purse with brightly-colored floral design. The flowers are outlined in gold stitching, giving it a slightly quilted look. The purse is covered in plastic and accented by gold lame faux leather handles, trim and interior. The bottom is covered in shiny silver lame. Built-in kisslock section and a separate zip pocket.

I think my new “thing” is gold lame. I’m not sure if this means I’m getting more fabulous or just… older. Eh, well. I’ll take ‘em both!