Please help identify my handbag.

[SleepingBeauty]

Hello everyone. I've been searching for a nice handbag for myself for a few weeks now and I just haven't found anything I've really liked.

However after passing by a vintage shop yesterday I saw this handbag in the window and just fell in love with it. The last thing I was expecting was to find a lovely handbag from a bygone era to use nowadays!

Now that I'm besotted with it, I would love to know more about it.

The price tag said it was a 1950's piece. The bag has no labels at all apart from the initial 'B' stamped on the frame hinge.

Can anybody tell what the brand is, what style it is, is it really from the 1950's, and what would you call the metal detailing at the opening? I'd be happy to hear anything you can tell me about my handbag.

Thanks so much

 

[retro ruth]

Hi SleepingBeauty and welcome to the forums.

That's an unusual frame, I haven't seen one quite like it.

The 'B' will almost certainly be the frame maker, rather than the bag maker. Bag manufacturers buy in their frames and you often find a frame that is stamped with the frame makers mark, while the handbag has a different maker label. Therefore it's almost impossible to the brand of the bag, with no labels.

I'm not sure on the age of the bag, it certainly could be 50s or 60s. It would help to see the inside of the bag, and to know how large it is - what is the height and width? Generally handbags got larger in the 60s, so a smaller bag is more likely to be earlier in the 50s-60s timeline, a larger bag later. But of course there are exceptions in either direction.

Also, it is real leather, or faux leather/vinyl?

 

[SleepingBeauty]

Hi SleepingBeauty and welcome to the forums.

That's an unusual frame, I haven't seen one quite like it.

The 'B' will almost certainly be the frame maker, rather than the bag maker. Bag manufacturers buy in their frames and you often find a frame that is stamped with the frame makers mark, while the handbag has a different maker label. Therefore it's almost impossible to the brand of the bag, with no labels.

I'm not sure on the age of the bag, it certainly could be 50s or 60s. It would help to see the inside of the bag, and to know how large it is - what is the height and width? Generally handbags got larger in the 60s, so a smaller bag is more likely to be earlier in the 50s-60s timeline, a larger bag later. But of course there are exceptions in either direction.

Also, it is real leather, or faux leather/vinyl?

Hi Ruth

Thanks so much for your reply.

I didn't know about the 'B' most likely being the brand of frame. I'm now trying to research zip brands but I have had no luck at all with that. The color of the bag is a dark navy blue, and it is real leather on the outside with cream colored faux leather on the inside. I have attached a photo of the interior. The dimensions are as follows: H 25cm, L 28cm and W 10cm.

I have found a very similar bag on google images which led me to an etsy seller. Although not identical, it is very similar with the only differences being a different embossed frame and the leather is charcoal grey, but the handle attachments are the same and the latch is near the same too...but who knows. Anyway, the seller described it as a 1950's Kelly bag, box frame. Of course that bag has lost the brand tag too...!

Once again, thanks so much for your help.

 

[retro ruth]

Sellers often describe this style of frame bag as a Kelly bag. It's a bit of a misnomer. A true Kelly bag is a particular style of Hermes bag that was popularised by Grace Kelly. However you find vintage sellers use it for any bag of a similar shape.

I would place your bag in the 60s, by the interior and the size - 11 inches across is quite large. Others may have a different opinion though.

 

[Pinkcoke]

I would go with early to mid 60's with the vinyl interior and the repousse style frame (true repousse is metal hammered from the reverse, though yours is likely to be a cast frame).

 

[SleepingBeauty]

Thank you Melanie and Ruth! I'm really enjoying reading other peoples threads and I see both of you are very knowledgable in your responses! Once again thank you!

 

[Jess Ica]

Hello! I'm fairly new to this forum so forgive me if I am posting this the wrong way. I recently purchased a hermes bolide bag at an estate sale and I'd like assistance with identifying if the bag is authentic or not. Is this the proper place to be posting this question? Above is a picture of the bag. My main concern is that i can not locate a date stamp, everything else seems correct. Could this be a pre-1945 bolide? Is there anything else I should be looking for? I can post more pics if helpful. Any opinions or assistance would be very much appreciated! thank you!!!

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Hi Jess Ica, and welcome to the forums.

Lovely bag: it's best to start a new thread but before you do, I wanted to mention that although we can help you date the bag, we can't authenticate it here. It's best to take it to an Hermes specialist as photos are limited in the information they provide, and some fakes are very good quality.

If you wanted to start a new thread about your bag so we can date it, here is some information about the sorts of things we'd like to know to help you. In particular, good and clear photos of the logo, any labels and fasteners.

On the photo above, my feeling is that it is a fairly modern bag and unlikely to be a pre '45 Bolide but more information (and a new thread) will help.

 

[Jess Ica]

Hi Jess Ica, and welcome to the forums.

Lovely bag: it's best to start a new thread but before you do, I wanted to mention that although we can help you date the bag, we can't authenticate it here. It's best to take it to an Hermes specialist as photos are limited in the information they provide, and some fakes are very good quality.

If you wanted to start a new thread about your bag so we can date it, here is some information about the sorts of things we'd like to know to help you. In particular, good and clear photos of the logo, any labels and fasteners.

On the photo above, my feeling is that it is a fairly modern bag and unlikely to be a pre '45 Bolide but more information (and a new thread) will help.

Thank you, Circa Vintage! Your guidance is very much appreciated!!!!! :D