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!