Dating help and a few other Qs on several bags (pic heavy)

retro ruth

retro ruth

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Staff member
Hi everyone,

I've several bags I'd love to get some help on. I have some ideas, and to help me learn I'm going lay my cards out and say what I think they are, and I'd be grateful for correcting, confirming or narrowing down, or indeed telling me I'm completely wrong!

Many thanks if you can help.

Bag 1: Patent leather frame bag. The sides aren't patented. It's smallish, 8 inches across, and suede lined. I thought 50s/60s?

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Bag 2: Swallow patent leather bag with chain handle. Again 8 inches across and the sides not patented. Lined in grosgrain. I'm again thinking 50s/60s. Would the faux tortoiseshell chain be lucite?

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Bag 3: Metallic Embroidery small evening bag with palm trees. It's 6 inches across, the embroidery is on velvet the rest grosgrain, the lining water. It has a Newey snap fastener, and they go way back. (see http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/21cc/lang/large1135.html if you are interested!) I've no real clue about this one! Wondering if it could be as early as 40s?

I've seen a previous thread about a Made in India bag with quite a different shape but similar embroidery, so I believe it's called bullion embroidery?

It has what I thought was a lipstick pouch inside, but it's too small for a modern lipstick! Were lipsticks smaller or is this for something else?!

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Bag 4: Large not leather frame bag, 12.5 inches across, with green lining. I think 60s. Also how would you describe fake leather: faux leather, leatherette, vinyl?

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Bag 5: Snakeskin trimmed bag, 13 inches across. It has the attachments for a strap but the strap is missing. It's definitely real snake, so I'm assuming the bag is leather. Snap closures. Was thinking 70s?

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Bag 6: Eros envelope bag, I think its 80s, maybe 70s? It has a magnetic closure - not sure when those started? It would have had a removable strap but that's missing. Leather but the inside is faux suede and fabric. All the Eros bags I've found are earlier, and I can't seem to find any info about the company to know when/if they stopped making.

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That's a lot of questions! thanks for your patience and TIA for any responses.

Ruth
 
the pictures haven't loaded for me, so I'll just respond to your text:

For the first one, if its a sueded lining, the likelihood that its real patent leather and not vinyl is very good. When you mean the sides aren't patented - do you mean the sides are calfskin or something else? Also, be sure to use the term "patent leather" rather than "patented" for listing purposes.

(EDITED: Okay, you are saying the second bag, not the first is not "patented" - please elaborate and do you mean just the short sides?)

As far as a descriptor for "fake leather" I would go with vinyl unless it is trying to simulate leather with a texture, then I would put faux leather. Also, "vegan" is popular for titles to alert folks to it being animal-free.
 
Hi thanks for answering. Strange the pics haven't loaded, they're on photobucket. Can anyone else see them?

Sorry if my info wasn't clear perhaps I've overloaded one thread and should have broken this up. What I meant was for both bags 1 and 2, the fronts, backs and base are patent leather, and the sides are just leather without the shiny patent surface. I think if you could see the pics you'd know what I mean. I'm sure they are both real patent leather, becuase the sides are clearly leather, just wasn't sure of date, and thought the sides not being patent when the rest is, might mean something to someone date-wise.

Thanks very much for the vegan KW, I hadn't thought of that.
 
Nice selection!

I think your dating on the first two is correct, though I think the first is likelier to be 50s (the style and sueded interior goes right into the 60s, but the smaller size strikes me as earlier). And I think the second bag--with that lucite/plastic chain handle and faille interior--is 60s.

Those bullion embroidery bags drive me nuts! They're SO hard to date. However...I believe the very unusual motifs and shape on yours are earlier than many I've seen, and the construction (with the fabric handle attached by studs at the sides) looks a like what you see on earlier tooled leather bags. So I'd guesstimate 50s...

I'd say 80s on both clutches.
 
Thanks very much Carrie, thats really helpful.

it's great for my dating confidence to know I wasn't too far off on them. I also thought the first was more likely 50s because of the small size, so have you say the same thing is very heartening!
 
Very nice selection of bags, and I agree totally with Carrie on the dating (esp. the difficulty of dating those small embroidered bags--but yours does seem earlier than later!), except for #6. Which I would put at late 70s, rather than into the 80s. Maybe '76 to '79. I know there's not a lot of difference years-wise between late 70s an 80s, but stylistically this looks (to me, anyway) more 70s. FWIW!

I agree with Kristine about calling #4 vinyl. It does not look as if it were made to simulate leather. In the 60s, you see a lot of simulated suede and leather, along with "pleather." But yours is good old-fashioned, utilitarian vinyl, "not that there's anything wrong with that."
 
Thanks Anne, this is all so useful. You guys are brilliant.

And Vinyl it is for number 4 - Vegan Vinyl has a nice ring to it! Though I'm a little tempted to keep that one, it's such a useful big size.

Ruth
 
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