Miss Piggy Is Right

I didn't get a lot of time to treasure hunt last week, but when I did grab some time I revisited this cream and tan Kadin handbag (circa 1950s I'm guessing). I'd been eyeing it for a while and when it was still there last week, I remembered Miss Piggy's words about having a bag for all social occasion, including Everyday. I'd been using my vintage bags when I went out to church or dinner, but what about everyday? The Kadin had a cool outside pocket with a straps and turn locks to keep the pocket closed. Inside, there was a zip pocket and fabric lining in the spacious main compartment. Little brass feet kept the purse on its tiptoes. Could this be my Everyday? I bought it, brought it home and did what little clean up it needed with a little saddle soap. The outside is a nice soft vinyl that feels really nice in the hand and for some reason, it looks like spring to me. I think I'll give it a whirl.

The good thing is I may have found an everyday bag. The bad thing is that even in the short time I had, I managed to also buy two other bags, one a red paper straw bag made in the Philippines and the other a vintage hard-sided straw shoulder bag. Of course, I don't need either one of these. But if something looks the least bit different, I buy it. I figure it's better to buy it and get to know it later than not buy it and have remorse over a missed opportunity.

So the overflow bags may be heading to eBay where they can be adopted by other women in love with bags. If I only had a closet like the one Oprah is putting in the California house for Steadman's suits I could keep every single one.

I'm Not the Only One . . .

I just picked up the new Judith Miller book (no, not the NYTimes Judith Miller, the collectibles expert Judith Miller). It's called Handbags, surprisingly enough, and what's on the front cover? A red Lucite handbag. Featuring red handbags on the cover of books seems to be quite the thing. Anna Johnson's Handbags: The Power of the Purse has a red Sonia Rykiel on its cover. Claire Wilcox's A Century of Bags sports a red vintage bag on the cover. And even the Lucky Shopping Manual lets you pick your cover from different color handbags, one of which, of course, is red. So it seems I'm not the only one with a thang about red bags. If you are seriously looking for reference materials on vintage bags and not just adoring the covers, in addition to the three books mentioned above, I like Handbags (4th edition) by Roseann Ettinger. Ettinger's, Miller's and Wilcox's books each have an index, which I find helpful when doing research. I love Johnson's little book, but the lack of an index makes it a nightmare to find anything. For a list of other books on vintage bags, Li Xiuqi has a list on Amazon's Listmania. Check my Links for quick access.

Quote of the Day

"I find that it is vital to have at least one handbag for each of the ten types of social occasion: Very Formal, Not So Formal, Just a Teensy Bit Formal, Informal But Not That Informal, Every Day, Every Other Day, Day Travel, Night Travel, Theater, and Fling."

--Miss Piggy

Something Old, Something New

Welcome to Gail's Red Bag! Why the red bag? I was always drawn to red handbags and purses in the store, and I even bought one once. It was a smooth leather and bright red purse and extravagant. Was it really practical? Could you wear this with everything? I had a lot of purple clothes. Filled with doubt, I soon returned it, feeling it made me too conspicuous, especially in my conservative business environment.

But life changes. Now that I've made the transition from marketing manager to children's writer lots of things have changed. I don't shop at Lord & Taylor for my suits (what suits?) and I certainly don't buy $100 handbags. Even when I had a "good" job, I could never bring myself to splurge on a Coach bag, something I had promised myself when I made vice president. It just seemed so frivolous.

So that same practical side that wouldn't allow me to buy Coach has led me to shop at resale shops. Somehow in my trips to the stores, I fell in love with the old handbags I saw. Some were hopelessly trashed yet still had character, but some had survived the years in amazing shape. And then like shelter dogs around my friend Deborah, they started coming home with me. Deborah can't resist a new dog and I am having a hard time resisting the vintage bags. And I'm always drawn to the red ones, but today I buy and keep them!

So for me, "the red bag" is a symbol of trying something new, of making yourself a little conspicuous. I'll be using this blog to record lessons I've learned on shopping for and collecting vintage bags and sharing my finds with readers. I hope you'll find it interesting and entertaining.