Another Vintage Lucite Purse

Well, there's been an addition to the shelf.  I was at an antique place in Monterey today and spotted this lovely clear purse with a carved lid.  I just had to have it of course and it was a reasonable price too.  Meant to be right?  So, after I checked it for cracks and chips, I took it to the front to buy.  It is not labeled but is very similar to several well known companies.  There is also a rectangular bit of glue (from a label) at the back inside of the purse, under the lid hinge.  It looks a lot like it could have been a Patricia of Miami tag...maybe Charles S. Kahn.  Wherever it came from, I love it!

I especially love clear lucite purses...
they will go with any outfit.

Coupled with a Liberty of London scarf, a clear
plastic purse will pop...

LUCITE...Reverse Carved Pins

Anyone who knows me or has visited this blog before knows of my eternal love for lucite handbags.  I saw a lucite purse one day and fell madly in love, love, love with it (see lucite post)...and have been collecting ever since.  The lucite pin has a very similar history in my life.

My husband and I were somewhere in the Central Valley, California.  I think we were there for flat track motorcycle races (motorcycles being another joy in my life) and we decided to pop into an old antique store.  Lo and behold, sitting in a dusty case of clutter was a reverse carved lucite flower pin.  I think I actually heard the angels of collecting sing as a single sunbeam broke through the clouds and illuminated the lovely piece of jewelry.  Okay, not really about the sunbeam, but you get the picture.

Prices on these babies vary widely.  It pretty much comes down to how much you want the piece.  They are easily found on Ebay and Etsy, along with many other online buying sites.  Sometimes I find them for a steal and other times, I just really want the pin and pay the premium price.


Check out  http://jewellerymuse.blogspot.com for ideas of how to wear vintage pins.  If you want to see pages and pages of pictures, click on the link reverse carved lucite pin pictures...and voila, tons of beautiful pins.

So, as winter turns into spring, and we all throw on those coats and jackets and sweaters...think of dressing it all up with a bit of vintage style...add a lucite pin.

Vintage Metal Basket Purses with Some Lucite Thrown In Too...

One of the original bling purses...shiny and eye catching...the vintage metal basket purse.  Popular during the same time period as my beloved lucite lovelies, these purses were crafted out of woven metal strips and often had lucite or plastic details.  Dorset Rex was the best known producer of this type of bag, but Majestic and Tyrolean also produced boxy purses using metal detail with plastic.

These purses tend to age better than the all lucite bags in that the metal holds up better.  Lucite and Bakelite can become brittle, chipping and cracking easily. For this reason, I do not use my lucite purses very often.  The metal purses are much easier to throw a wallet, cell, and sunglasses into without worrying about damage.  They also tend to be lighter weight than solid lucite.

A great book for pictures is:

Plastic Handbags  
Sculpture to Wear                                       
                      by Kate E. Dooner

It's an older book, first published in 1992, but the pictures of all lucite and lucite/metal purses are incredible...definite eye candy for purse fiends.  It's also a great resource for a purse collector because it lists the major manufacturers from the late 40's through the 50's, gives you a chapter on each, and gives you a sense of each company's style.  I often have a good idea of who made one of these vintage purses just by looking at it because most companies did have a unique style.

These purses also tend to be less expensive than their lucite counterparts and ship better if you're buying off the internet....two great reasons to start collecting these beautiful purses.

Vintage Lucite Purses

Long ago...when I was about 20, I spotted a clear, boxy purse in a local antique store, with a simple flower carved into the lid.  It was hard plastic and I was immediately taken with the look of the thing...it was old, but modern looking, it was streamlined but funky looking, outrageous but functional and I knew that I had to have it.  But how?  Those were the days of poor... no $48.00 to buy this thing that I wanted so badly.  Groceries yes, rent money yes, funky purse no.  What to do?

Well, I knew that I had a 1940's telephone gossip bench that my mom really liked.  I loved sitting on that comfy bench, talking, talking, talking to my friends (pre cell phone days).  But, if my mom was up for the trade, the purse would be mine.  So, I proposed a swap...she got the bench, I ended up with the purse, and an enduring lucite purse passion was born.

I have been collecting lucite purses for many years now.  I also collect other types of vintage and antique purses, but the lucite purse is my favorite.  I never tire of looking at the fantastic shapes, the boxiness or the roundness, the smoothness and the quirkiness.  They really are amazingly constructed.  So modern looking, yet our grandmothers carried them.  The late 40's to the early 60's were their time, but the real heyday was the 50's.

If you are interested in a little bit of history, check out these sites:

http://www.twolia.com/blogs/heres-looking-like-you-kid/2009/07/09/a-guide-to-vintage-lucite-purses/
http://members.tripod.com/vamp_pie/lucite.htm
http://wilardy.com/wilardy_history.html

So, last weekend, I found two golden confetti lovelies in a Monterey antique store.  If you are ever in the area (Monterey, CA) and want to go antiquing, this place is fun...one of my favorite local shops, The Cannery Row Antique Mall.

If you want to see more lovely lucite, scroll down to view a few more of my favorites...

So much fun!

Have a great week...