Originally posted by Patentleathershoes
I also remember the coach purses in the early nineties that were quite petite but had very long skinny straps, circa 1992-1994ish. The gals who were my age at the time who couldn't swing the Willis bags, etc, were buying them up (and no one could save for independent wealth). They had the small hooks on the ends of the straps as well. They were before the Coach demipurse styles on the short thick straps that you would loop around your arm and they'd be right under your armpit came out in the much later 90s.
As for the second purse - that magnetic snap closure and that "inside and underneath" strap configuration went on for a long time in evening purses and prom type purses.
The inside strap thing I believe is to allow the bag to be used as a clutch bag (with the shoulder strap curled inside the body of the bag) - which made me think evening/occasion bag. The strap is more like a leather cord (a thin tube of leather).
From Wikipadia
"After learning the art from their grandfather, Magli and his siblings Marino and Maria started crafting women's shoes in a small basement in Bologna, Italy, in 1936. In 1947, the first factory was built, which also produced men's shoes. The current plant was built in 1969. In the 1980s, the Magli company developed a franchising retail network which led, in about twenty years, to around 40 "franchises", strewn around Europe, America, Japan, China and other Asian countries, and Australia.
Magli is now a privately-held upscale brand leader in men's and women's footwear, leather clothing, women's handbags, luggage items, small leather goods, and other accessories."
I believe the company was owned/developed Magli by Monica (launched, designed by Bruno's granddaughter, Monica), 2000; a controlling share was purchased by investment firm Opera, 2001.
And then ....
"UK investment fund acquires Bruno Magli
Luxury footwear company Bruno Magli has been acquired by UK-based investment fund Fortelus Capital. The Italian luxury footwear specialist, which has fallen on hard times, was previously owned by Opera, an equity fund backed by Bulgari SpA and a number of other investors. The amount for which Bruno Magli was sold is unknown.
Fortelus Capital is a new $300 million turnaround fund founded last year by Timothy Babich. This is its first purchase. Babich told WWD that the majority of the capital spent on the acquisition would go towards reviving the Bruno Magli business. “I think that part of (the attraction) was the history and the archives of all the designs,” he said. “We think that there is a good base to build on.”
Opera bought the Bruno Magli business from the Magli family in 2001 for $140 million. Since then, Opera has failed to lead to business to profit. WWD reports that a source has said that it struggles with a lack of creative direction and a limited budget. Since 2003, Opera called in the help of consultancy firm Alix Partners to help manage the business. According to Babich, Opera had already completed a major part of Bruno Magli's turnaround. The brand operates 32 fully owned stores; 11 in Italy and 21 in Japan . It also has 25 stores through franchise agreements, with presences in 60 countries. In 2006, the company had €45 million in sales.
www.brunomagli.com
1 February 2007 "
So not just the family store, but lots of licensing/franchise areas to consider!
