This website www.retrodesignerdeals.com has something for everyones taste. Ranging from vintage daytime purses - to vintage evening bags - to vintage designer collector handbags, the assortment is huge and affordable.


The buzz on vintage bags is that one needs to brush up on what’s interesting in vintage purses. Many older bags, while exhibiting signs of age and wear, have an old-fashioned craftsmanship, making them an overall more durable purse. Serious vintage purse collectors need to study up on what they’re after. eBay is always a good place to start. Look for brand names first and go from there.

Shopping for vintage purses is fun and definitely more of a quest if one if shaking down the bins at Goodwill or going to estate sales and flea markets. If shopping at a legitimate vintage purse dealer, know your stuff. Vintage purses aren’t cheap (the '60's Gucci Bouvier to the left would ding you over $450). Those in good condition from a reputable dealer will still cost a bit of money but not as much as the new stuff. Many think the olden-days leather and hardware are better quality then those made today.

Certainly these bags are more unique and far less trendy. Are you a vintage bag-toting gal? Click EasyEdit to add tips on where and how to get quality vintage purses; add pix of your vintage bags to the photo gallery.

Top Five Tips for Vintage Handbag Collecting

(Courtesy of New York Post fashion editor Serena French)

1. Do research (see books list below)
   
2. Learn to spot fakes (check websites like handbag.com for tips)
   
3. Know your skins
4. Try flea markets
5. Join an auction (like Doyle's Couture, Textile, and Accessories auction; it should be mentioned that a Hermes black crocodile Birkin bag went for an astounding $64,800 at a Doyle auction in 2005)

What are your surefire tips for scoring vintage finds? Click EasyEdit to add them to the list or share your insight in the comments area.

Books About Collecting Vintage Handbags

• Handbag Chic by Desire Smith

• Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide by Lynell Schwartz

• Handbags: The Power of the Purse by Anna Johnson

• Handbags: A Peek Inside a Woman's Most Trusted Accessory by Barbara G. S. Hagerty

• Carried Away: All About Bags by Farid Chenoune

• Miller's: Handbags: A Collector's Guide (Miller's Collector's Guides) by Tracy Tolkien

• Antique Purses: A History, Identification and Value Guide by Richard Holiner

• Handbags: A Lexicon of Style by Valerie Steele

Who remembers the sixties? There were some pretty groovy bags holding form with lucite and plastic. On this site you can see other great mod designs and get a 101 on what's to have from this era.

At left here, the 1960s plastic daisy bag similar to the Mary Quant Daisy £80/$140. Plus -- tips on buying your own Mary Quant bag. Did you know that if you sniff inside the purse and you smell something rather chemical, it means the purse is deteriorating and you shouldn't buy it! But the sixties had some very cool looks, instant classics, and good collectibles for the vintage vamp.

Websites for Researching, Buying, and Admiring

Click EasyEdit to add your favorite website shrines to vintage accessories.

New York Post: "Old Bags (That Shouldn't Be Retired)"
Post fashion editor Serena French writes about the obsession for vintage purses, and provides tips for discovering great finds.

Bag Lady Emporium
A comprehensive site featuring scads of classic handbags for sale; not an emphasis on designer bags.

Createurs de Luxe
Self-proclaimed home of authentic Hermès handbags. You could blow your kids' college fund here, so be forewarned.

Ebay Vintage Handbag Reviews and Guides

Kitschic Boutique
Where it's fashionable to dress and decorate like your grandmother!

Enokiworld
Vintage clothing for modern women. Great profiles of some truly amazing finds.