vintage handbags

This is a guest post By Sandra Mendoza-Daly at DebutanteClothing.com

Sandra Mendoza-Daly is the owner and editor of Debutanteclothing.com. The blog features news, tips and resources on all things vintage. It’s a must read if you love vintage. The shop is loaded with wearable vintage which has been carefully selected by Sandra herself. No frumpy or dated items in this store! Sandra is on a mission to teach the world how to incorporate vintage with modern clothing.

When it comes to accessories, women are usually in one of two camps: shoes and handbags. I’m part of the handbag camp. I love bags of all shapes and sizes, every decade, and a variety of materials. But shopping for vintage handbags is one of my favorite pastimes. Shopping for vintage purses can be a real treasure hunt, with some designer names and styles worth a small fortune. Before you set out for shopping for your next vintage bag, here are a few pointers to help you find a purse you will treasure forever.

  • Buy What You Love

    This old adage is true of any collectible, but especially true when you are shopping for vintage bags you actually want to wear. Always buy what makes your eyes dance and your arm or hand feel like it’s carrying a work of art.

  • Less is More

    Vintage bags do tend to run smaller – women didn’t have Blackberries and iPods back in the good old days. Be sure to buy a bag that will be roomy enough to hold just the essentials. Think of it as a junk in your bag diet.



Some of my favorite Day Bags:

Leather satchels

Vintage Coach Bag: $75

Vintage Coach Bag: $75

Totes

Vintage Gucci Bag

Vintage Gucci Bag

Structured

Vintage Navy Blue Faille Kelly: $39.49

Vintage Navy Blue Faille Kelly: $39.49




And favorite Evening Bags:

Plastic

Vintage Lucite "Bag": $250

Mesh & Beaded

Vintage clutch: $20

Vintage clutch: $20



How to Care For Your Bag

  1. Keep in a dark, cool place like a closet. It’s hard not to display these beauties, but keeping them out of light or harsh temperatures will keep them around for another 50 years.
  2. Keep them in a dust bag. You can make your own out of a clean pillow case.
  3. Clean with a damp, soft cloth. Do not wash or spray your bag with any harsh chemicals.



Great Places to Shop for Handbags

Etsy.com

Decodame.com

Bagladyemporium.com

ModBag.com


Giveaway!!

Do you love vintage handbags? Want to win one? Sandra has been so gracious to allow one winner her choice of either a lovely vintage satin clutch or a cute mustard pleather & plastic clutch.

enter to win a vintage clutch enter to win a vintage clutch

Ways to enter to win:

leave a comment here and tell me which one suits your style better – the classic black, or the edgy mustard? (I personally would rock the mustard pleather/vinyl clutch!)

Follow Sandra on twitter – leave a comment back here confirming your follow to be entered to win.

RT this post using the button below

Good Luck! Giveaway ends next Monday, August 17th and the winner will be chosen by random.org.

Share

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Aside from not buying anything at all, or only buying organic cotton, hemp, or recycled clothing, vintage shopping is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as it gets. When you buy vintage, you know that no new energy/water/other resources have been used to produce the items; all of the environmental costs of vintage/used clothes were borne many years ago. And when you buy it, you’re keeping it out of landfills, where depending on what it’s made of, it may, or may not break down quickly and without consequence to the environment.

I will be the first to admit that I have NO idea how to even THINK about shopping for vintage clothing, shoes or accessories. I’ve never been a thrifter, or vintage shopper – my “look” is more contemporary casual – but I have great admiration for those who do wear vintage and either make it the focus of their style, or incorporate it into a more modern look. I really enjoy browsing through vintage clothing websites, or even in real life at thrift shops, but I think if I ever picked up vintage shopping, it would be more as a collector than as a “wearer.”

So as I move the focus of green grechen this week toward vintage clothing, shoes & accessories as an eco-friendly alternative to buying new, I’m going to turn most of the content over to some FABULOUS guest-bloggers. Each day this week will feature a different article from a different blogger focusing on vintage shoes, accessories or clothing and how (and where) to shop for these items online. Today, we’re kicking off with a great general post by Jennine of THE COVETED on How to Shop for Vintage online. Please take a look, and let me and Jennine know what you think! We’d also love to hear your feedback and ideas on vintage shopping.

Giveaway!

Oh, did I also mention the giveaway? We’ll have two giveaways this week, today’s will run through Wednesday, and a new one will start on Thursday.

Today through Wednesday, together with Modcloth, we’re giving away this fabulous vintage (inspired) clutch to one lucky winner.

enter to win a vintage inspired clutch from modcloth vintage week

How to enter (ONLY comments will be counted and used by random.org to pick the winner):

leave a comment on this post with links to your favorite online vintage shops, sellers, and/or bloggers (I REALLY need help building up my list of vintage shopping sites LOL!)

for extra entries, you can RT this post (use the button below), tweet your favorite online vintage seller, shop and/or blogger using the hashtag #vintageweek, and/or post a link to this post on your facebook page. please remember to come back here and leave a comment if you do any of these things so you your entry will be counted

Don’t forget to check out Modcloth for some seriously cute vintage fashions – and use code “Affiliate10″ for 10% off!

I hope you’ll enjoy Vintage Week here at green grechen as much as I hope to!! I’m looking forward to learning a lot, and finding some new vintage gems online :)

»crosslinked«

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Share

{ Comments on this entry are closed }