Monday 22 March 2010

Bag Lady


Like my fellow stylish blogging sisters Jem and Helga,  I'm just not into "it" bags. I can't imagine squandering hundreds of quid on a designer bag when I could buy a flight ticket to India and a bag full of vintage frocks from a jumble sale and still have change for the Glastonbury Festival......

....but I was rather excited to find this Furla satchel priced at 99p in a local charity shop!


You can't quite beat snaffling a vintage bag from a jumble sale or car boot sale, getting home and opening it to reveal traces of the last owner's life - a crumpled cinema ticket, a hastily scribbled shopping list, a wedding place card or a battered compact. It's like a mini time capsule, zipped up in the 1960's and forgotten for forty years.

Here's some of my bag collection, all found at car boots, jumble sales or charity shops unless stated:

Clockwise from top left-hand corner: 1960's grosgrain evening purse, 1980's sequinned clutch, Silver lurex chain purse ,1930's leather purse (Inherited) , Handmade Peacock feather and denim purse (Present), 1950's goatskin clutch, 1960's gold and black brocade purse


Clockwise from top left-hand corner: Vintage suede handbag with leather corsage, Leather coin purse with fleur de lys design, Tooled leather bag , Italian-made mustard leather shoulder bag, Renata Couture of Italy irridescent clutch, Embroidered Mexican purse (Gift from the lovely mitmot)


Clockwise from top left-hand corner: Russian-made framed handbag, Studded leather saddle bag, 1960's brushed denim tote, Furla satchel, Leather Gladstone bag, Ackery of London patent leather handbag, 1950's tooled leather handbag.


In with today's "bag" theme I'm wearing some baggy harem-cut jeans bought from the sample stall on the market last week for £2. The deadstock lycra bodysuit, vintage tweed waistcoat, patent brogues, leather belt and satchel were all charity shop finds and the Dunn &Co flat cap is one from Jon's vast collection - found at a jumble sale.

27 comments:

  1. An interestingly country-landowner look you're sporting today Vix. Look at all your gorgeous bags! I love the peacock feather bag.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ahh you look gorgeous! I love this look. And such a great collection! Very envious x

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a collection, I used to love bags but now I take the massive change bag everywhere. I'm longing for the days when I can pop out with just a purse and a lipgloss!
    My favourite bag is the tooled leather one, drool!
    Vicki xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I won't even begin to try to select a favorite out of all those beautiful bags! But your outfit is incredible! Strikingly sporty - a very sophisticated look. I like every single detail of it. Great earrings, too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That outfit looks amazing on you, i love the waistcoat. I'm not really a bag girl, i'm more of a shoe buyer but i love the clutch in the middle set of bags x

    ReplyDelete
  6. you always look so great!
    your bag collection is immense, the peacock feather and denim one is a particular wow! you have to do an outfit with that some day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. My fave is the irridescent clutch, just beautiful. You pull off the flat cap really well, totally classy outfit =) x

    ReplyDelete
  8. You look killer today, Vix! Love this look on you, and I'm utterly jealous of that fab Furla find. You are so inspiring - I'll be rootling around the car boots this weekend, keeping my eye out for the illusive second hand Mulberry! ;) xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love this look, & what a great collection of bags!

    Thank you for the comment - & the suggestions of Dad-presents!

    I'm pretty sure I won't be baring my face anytime soon on my blog.. I don't know why really, but I like it being kinda.. anonymous. Which doesn't really make sense. As none of you know me anyway. & if someone who did know me, stumbled across my blog, they'd know it was me anyway. So I don't really know what I mean, or why I don't like the idea. But there you go.. maybe one day!

    www.heart-shaped-bruise.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's alot of bags you have, all fabulous and clever finds, but the favourite for me is the peacock feather one... Loving the outfit with the cap too...xxx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fantastic bag collection. You must rota your bag all the time so you use them. I really like both tooled leather ones. x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi there-you never cease to amaze me with your gorgeous finds, I'm so coveting your tan bags, they are soo lovely!! Your look is just so stylish, another fabulously bargainous outfit!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love this look! i've a huge soft spot for mens caps and you look adorable in this one

    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  14. think I will just have to replicate this
    entire outfit - sleek/dangerous.
    luv the printed messenger bag in your
    bag collection.

    ReplyDelete
  15. *lusts after them all*

    I genuinely don't know how people can bring themselves to pay £500 for a bag. Each to their own but I could never ever do it. Just think of all the books and shoes and trips to the countryside it could buy me!

    How are you enjoying the Justine Picardie book?

    ReplyDelete
  16. WOW! I love your outfit! And I LOVE all your bags! Since I had my son I went down to one. It's just so much easier (and really the only thing I've "given up" on). So it isn't so bad. But I got a new purse recently that I will be posting about tomorrow. It's fantastic. Though there are more than a couple of yours I would like to steal...

    heart:

    purplestinkindogtoy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great outfit Vix!
    I've got a pair of denim harem pants too but yours have a more elegant fit, I put mine on when I'm having one of those pesky "fat-days" cause they are marvellously roomy.
    That's a fabulously eclectic bag collection you've got there, I love how you've displayed them with that gorgeous frame. We are in complete unison when it comes to bag full of vintage frocks versus 'It Bag' of that there is no doubt!
    Luv,
    JEM
    ...xXx

    ReplyDelete
  18. Salivation from the bag freak!!Yeah,how can anyone justify spening so much on one bag-I much prefer value for money too!!!
    You look so hot in that waistcoat & cap!!Like a naughty paperseller!!Love the Indian earrings mixed in,makes for a nice twist!!!
    Love Helga XXX

    ReplyDelete
  19. Loving the cap, why doesn't my aussie have anything I want to pinch rather than just oversized (on me) t shirts? Beautiful bag collection and a great idea on presentation as well x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow at the bag collection, Vix! I am drolling over the sequinned clutch bag in the top pic, and I love the country-house style you're sporting in the pictures, that waistcoat looks fab on you :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wonderful bag collection - I agree, I'm not much into "it" bags either. I only have one, which was a gift, but I couldn't spend my own money on one haha.

    Love that peacock & denim one :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. You are the world's best bag lady! That dinky silver number is gorgeously Barbie (and I mean that in a good way), and the peacock feather bag is a classic of its time. How beautiful, and I love the image of them all together. Coveting your collection hugely.

    ReplyDelete
  23. nice outfit , you rocks,

    you looks great today

    ReplyDelete
  24. after such a long time later i saw you u looks great

    coolest outfit haha

    ReplyDelete
  25. Who needs an 'It Bag' when you've got a bag collection like this?! Personally I love making my own bags. Absolutely adore your 'baggy harem-cut jeans' - which I don't find baggy at all, just looking really comfortable and stylish.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow those trousers Vix. Talk about perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow - You like your handbags. I love the 1980s sequinned one. I used to hanker after really expensive bags, now I just like things a little bit different.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix