Vintage Handbags

Collects: Vintage handbags

When did the bug bite? I inherited a photo of my parents on their wedding day. Both of my parents are gone, and I wanted to get a pair of vintage eyeglasses like my mom’s. So I started collecting eyewear frames. That lead to handbags . . . and coats . . . and . . . .

What was your first bag? It was actually a set of four: one red, one burgundy, one blue, and one other—I can’t remember.

How many in your current crop? I don’t know, maybe 100.

Common denominators? Bright colors. Solid colors. Typically made of vinyl-plastic. A handled handbag style—that “Grace Kelly look.” I guess they are from the 1950s and ’60s. I’m not a fan of mesh or embroidered.

What’s the most you’ve paid? $35.

Which is your most valuable? Probably my Lucite “Easter basket” style. It gets the most comments when I use it.

Where did you score that one? Turn Style in Richfield. I went daily and waited until it was half off.

Do you use your bags? Yes. But some I have never carried. When I do, I often get comments. It strikes up a conversation.

With so many to chose from, how do you make your pick? I like to use the bag as an accent color to my outfit. In the winter, it’s a dilemma. “Should my bag match my coat or my outfit?”

Where do you shop for them? Mainstreet in Hopkins. Ebay. When I visit relatives up north and in North Dakota, I visit the small-town antiques shops. Plus, the local thrift stores. But you have to hit ten to find one good bag. Estate sales are getting pretty cutthroat.

You hang them on the wall. Art or necessity? I started doing that in my old place. They took up too many bins so I hung them on the upper wall of my closet. When I moved to my apartment, I decided to use the large wall in my spare bedroom.

It looks pretty filled. There’s room left to scoot in a few. I’m still buying, so I can go to the hallway. Or move.