Show and Tell: 20's Peach and Fuchsia Silk Piano Shawl

Last week I showed you the 20's cloche in my collection. Today I'm going to show you my other item from the 20's: this incredible silk piano shawl.

I got this beauty from Ragpickers. It was the last thing I got before I quit working there. Someone brought it in to consign and I had to have it. I was totally enamoured with the colours in it. It was being sold for $80 and I had no money at the time (poor university student that I was), so I made a deal with the owner to trade all of my remaining consignment items for it.

Truth be told I've never worn it out. I've always wanted to wear it over a black dress to a wedding or something, but I'm afraid of wrecking it. It's in pristine condition - none of the fringe is missing or in terrible shape and the embroidery is all in pretty good shape too!

Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to wear it.



Lisa.xo

Show and Tell: Floral Embroidered 20's Cloche

I own two pieces from the 20's. This cloche and a stunning shawl I will show you next.

I bought this hat from a vintage shop that was closing a number of years ago. Everything in the store was marked down significantly. I went in to browse the sale and got a glimpse of this hat behind the counter. I asked to try it on. The owner said yes, but prefaced the "yes" with "This hat is tiny. In all the years I've owned it no one has ever been able to put it on." I know my own head....I know I have a small head (21 1/2" to be exact. Most people are 22-23"). I knew this hat would fit me. And it did.

She had it marked down from $99 to $40. She was so excited that it fit me she sold it to me for $21. I wore it all summer that year and it's one of my most prized vintage possessions.

Lisa.xo

Show and Tell: Vintage Purse and Clutch Collection Part 6

Ok. Last one guys. I wanted to post this yesterday (my day off), but I slept in too late and missed the good morning light in my living room. I barely made it this morning! lol!

Here are the rest of my black clutches and handbags. They're so hard to photograph!

The top clutch is another one of my favourites. It was bought at Ragpickers when I worked there. It still has it's mirror and original comb inside - both have their own special pockets in the front.

The clutch on the bottom was a Value Village purchase. I love the metal linked handle. It's so unique!

This art deco bag is another Ragpickers buy from long ago. The fringe on the bottom has seen better days and there are a few rhinestones missing, but I still like this bag. I don't tend to buy damaged pieces like this any more - I think that's a new vintage collector thing, but I'm happy to keep this one around.

Another Value Village buy. I wish I knew how old this bag is. It's got a cute little coin purse inside. The exterior is hard and is covered in cotton velvet. I paid a lot more than I usually do at VV for this bag, but I had to have it. Whoever was pricing it knew what it was.

Two more Value Village purchases. The top bag is a recent purchase - just last week! Once again, couldn't resist that cute little metal handle!

I love the size of the bag on the bottom, that and how elegant and simple it is. It's a bit bigger than most vintage clutches and fits my iPhone and my makeup compact. 

I'm pretty sure this little faux suede bag is from the 70's or 80's. I bought it because it has a loop to fit over a belt on the back and fits my iPhone. I thought I could use wear it on my belt out if I need my hands free at a party or out dancing. It also has two loops for a shoulder strap if I wanted to add one.

Another Ragpickers buy from my university days. I LOVE this bag. Everything about it. The leather, the chain, the closure. It's a really neat piece.

The best part is the interior. It doesn't fit a lot, but I adore the mirror fixed inside and the little snap pockets. Such a cool bag.

Some more random black bags.

These are both shoulder bags. I've got the straps tucked inside. The top leather one is from Ragpickers, the bottom patent bag is a Goodwill buy. 

I honestly can't remember where I got this faux croc handbag. Maybe VV? It's a tiny little bag - this picture makes it look bigger than it is. I love the detailing on the closure. 

My only fur muff. Another Ragpickers buy. I used this a lot in university and the fur has seen better days. I had forgotten I had it until I was going through my bags for this post series. Maybe I should take it out for a spin before our snow melts!

The back.

The rest of the bags are random purses and such that I had found while I was going through my bins (I keep some of my bigger bags in rubbermaid bins in the basement).

This leather fringed bag was my Mom's in the 70's. It's not really my style, but I love it cause it was hers and will never get rid of it.

Two more leather purses. Both thrifted from Value Village.

My antique doctor's bag. A recent acquisition from a show I worked on. I got it in trade for some labour I did. I've always wanted one.

And last, but not least, a bright 70's gym bag I bought for $1 thrifting in Thompson on the Munsch Tour last year.  I use it to store other smaller clutches.

And that's it!! That's my entire collection. What do you collect?


See more Show and Tell posts here.


Lisa.xo

Show and Tell: Vintage Purse and Clutch Collection Part 5

If I have a weakness for vintage purses and clutches in general, then my love of vintage straw and wicker bags in unparalleled!! I used to have quite a few more, but have sold them in the last few years and only kept my favourites. Photographing these today is making me long for summer. It's brutally cold in Winnipeg right now.


You've seen this bag before. It's in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. My brother Matt bought it for me one day while we were out thrift shopping together.

Clutches. All thrifted. The bamboo clutch with the strap is my most recent addition. I'm excited to use it this summer. 

I bought this bag at Ragpickers after I worked there. It's a great size for fitting essentials into and I love the shape and colour.

This bag was a thrift purchase. I like how the beading looks a bit like polka dots. I also like that this bag is black, however, I usually find it too small (this photo is a bit deceiving. It's smaller than the red bag above). I'd really like to find a black straw bag in a nice size for summer.

This bag is another thrift find. Salvation Army - $2. It has some damage, but I managed to sew it back together with a sturdy needle and some twine.

This Club Med bag was another thrift find. I'm a sucker for all things nautical and what's more nautical than netting? This is a great casual bag for going to the beach. It's large and fits so much stuff.

I bought this bag while on the Munsch Tour last winter. I cannot resist those raffia flowers. I really can't   tell you how many bags I've almost bought while thrifting because I love those woven flower motifs. The pretty peach colour won my heart here. That and the shoulder strap. 

Another bag you're sure to recognize if you been hanging around here for a while. My all time favourite bamboo cage purse. I had been coveting one identical to this online for at least a month. The price kept me from buying it - $90!! And how was I to know it was in good shape? I resisted the urge to spend that much money on a bag and tried to put it out of my mind. Well only a few weeks later I was in Value Village looking at the housewares and spotted this bag sitting among the baskets. It was $4!!! My heart raced, I grabbed it and clutched it to my chest while I continued shopping. I felt like I was stealing or something! lol!

I bought this basket at Goodwill. Again, raffia flowers. Can't resist. lol! I really want to take this bag to the beach, but I'm a little bit afraid of wrecking it. So instead I store some of my purses inside.

I love love love this purse. It was a gift from Maureen - the costume designer on 'Angels in America: Millennium Approaches' and 'Angels in America: Perestroika'. Both shows were a lot of work and Mo and I bonded pretty heavily. She bought this for me and didn't even know how much I love wicker bags or nautical wear in the summer. She's just that good. :)

One more purse post coming your way. Tomorrow or monday. Have a great weekend!

See more Show and Tell posts here.

Lisa.xo

Show and Tell: Vintage Purse and Clutch Collection Part 4

I was actually planning on showing you more clutches today, but upon my friend Daphne's request I decided to photograph some of my larger purses instead (all of which I've discovered in photographing them are black or tooled leather! lol!).


You'll recognize this first one. It's easily my most used purse. Or accessory even, for that matter.
If you've been reading my blog for a long time you've probably heared this story, but I bought this purse at Value Village for $7. I almost didn't buy it. I can't remember now whether I was worried about spending the money, or if I had a lot of other things in my cart already, or what it was. But I do remember humming and hawing over whether to take this one home with me. And now that it's such a staple in my wardrobe I can't even imagine why I wondered. It goes with everything!! I'd like to find a similar needlepoint purse in a light colour - that's on my wish list right now for sure.

This purse was given to me by one of The Boy's friends mothers. Follow? ;) She gave it to me along with a short raccoon fur coat. They belonged to her mother and no one in her family wanted them. She knew I would give them a good home. And I did. This purse looks small, but is deceivingly large inside. The bottom is quite wide and I was surprised at how much I could fit in it. (I also love the metal hinged handle! haha!)

I've had this next one so long I can't remember where it came from. Gift? Ragpickers? Thrifted? I had an obsession with 50's black patent purses for a while in my early 20's and this hails from that time. It's got all sorts of neat pockets and dividers inside.

I bought this purse at Ragpickers before I worked there. I must have been 19 or 20. It's easily one of my first vintage purchases from an actual vintage shop (I'd been buying vintage in thrift stores for years at that time already). I couldn't believe it was 50's. It was so modern looking! And again, I couldn't resist the interesting handle. lol!!

Another buy from Ragpickers when I worked there. This was my go-to purse before I bought the needlepoint one. You can see the handle needs some repair I used it so much.

The thing I love about this purse is the red interior. So pretty.

This patent purse is another newer addition. It was a gift as well - from a relative stranger in fact! The Boy and I went to a birthday part for a friend of a friend. I ended up talking to some girl that night about my look and I told her I collected vintage. She told me she had a purse of her grandmothers she should give me. Never happened. I forgot about the whole incident (probably also brought on by the wine I had been drinking that night!) and an entire year later we're hanging out with The Boy's friend and he says "Hey Lisa, I have a purse from that girl from Tom's party." I had NO IDEA what he was talking about. He gave me the purse and we discussed it a bit and the events of the evening started to come back to me. Random!! But kinda cool. And now I have that neat story and this beautiful purse! The white bar is mother of pearl and did not photograph too well. It's really pretty person.

Another oldie, but goodie you've seen on the blog before. My favourite tooled leather handbag. Bought at Value Village for less than $20.

I love the detail in these bags. This is the bottom.

I bought this bag at another VV in the city last Halloween. Also less than $20. I had been thinking about selling it, but I'll likely hang on to it for a while. It's bigger than my other tooled bag and the straps fit over my shoulder. I really like the deeper colour of this bag as well - kind of like caramel.

The back of this bag.

So there you go! Most of my larger handbags! I think I've got two more posts coming your way to round out this series (I think I've said that at the end of each one! haha! I've got more bags than I thought, I guess.): Summer wicker and straw handbags and my black clutches. Stay Tuned!

See more Show and Tell posts here. 

Lisa.xo

Show and Tell: Vintage Purse and Clutch Collection Part 3

Numero three in my show and tell series of my purse and clutch collection.

Here are my gold and silver clutches.

The gold envelope clutch was bought in Brandon while I was on the Munsch Tour last winter. I bought it with matching shoes (see them here!).
The silver beaded clutch was bought at Ragpickers way back when. It's seen better days. I use it frequently. It has some light staining and I need to sew a few beads back onto the back. It still has the original square mirror that tucks into a little pocket inside.

The silver clutch on top is a more recent thrift purchase. I liked the handle. It tucks inside as well in case I don't want to use it.
The silver shoulder bag on the bottom was bought at Ragpickers as well. It used to have a metal closure - the kind that looks like a little bar and pivots to keep the purse closed. You know the kind? It fell off, so now I use ribbon to keep this purse closed. And not always pink - I switch it out to match my outfit.

Two gold beaded bags - both of which I adore. I just think they're so pretty and decadent. Both thrifted for under $6 each. 

I'm discovering a pattern here while I write up these posts. I am a sucker for a metal or moulded handle. That's what drew me to this next clutch. That, and the pyramid closure.

A random grouping…they look nice together thought don't they?
 

The red flocked bag on top has a shoulder strap. It's a great casual bag, fits my phone and other essentials and adds a fantastic pop of colour to an outfit.

The white plastic bag on the bottom is 60's. It's another thrift store find. Again, a great addition to casual outfits and summer dresses in the warmer months.

The purple velvet clutch is another Ragpickers find from long ago. I love the colour. 

The burgundy suede purse also has a shoulder strap. I like that it looks like one of those plastic tub pillows - you know the kind with suction cups on the back? lol!

The hot pick purse is another find from the road while on the Munsch Tour. 

My assortment of green and blue purses.

The purse on top was given to me as a gift.
The navy suede purse on the bottom was bought from Patti Henderson's shop WildWoodRose Vintage.

The top green clutch was a purchase at Ragpickers - after I worked there! The handle slides in and out - which I love.
The grey patent purse on the bottom was a Salvation Army find - $4. Again, I love the handle on it.

The top purse was bought in Brandon on the Munsch Tour (see a better pic of it here). It has the most beautiful closure and a little coin purse inside attached with a chain.
And the purse on the bottom was another Value Village find. The bow and the colour had me at hello. :)

I've got at least two more instalments coming your way (I told you it was an extensive collection)! I hope you're enjoying these posts!


See more Show and Tell posts here. 


Lisa.xo