Frame handbag with clasp

[Styyna]

I would love to have a purse like this again:



Has anyone see frame bags with clasps like this? I love that they limit how much I can carry, they close fast without having to zip or align some snap, and, in the right color/fabric, I even like the appearance.

(This is just an icon image I happened to find, not a real purse.)

[Kelly]

Geez, I don't think I have seen anything like that in ages. I am sure they're around, but the structures items I see do not have the frame/clasp setup.

I agree, those are great handbags.

If I had any talent in that area, I'd design some, updated for this century.

I love handbags. And scarves. And shoes ...

[BettyBoop]

Here's something kitschy (sp?) at Overstock.com

[Veuve]

Check Etsy! I found this one, after looking for just a minute:
=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade]http://www.etsy.com/listing/61086288/red-leather-frame-bag-doctors-bag-with?ref=sr_gallery_4&ga_search_query=frame+handbag&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=3&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade

There are lots of beautiful vintage ones to be found as well.

[Poppyfields]

This reminded me of my mother's old dark brown leather frame handbag.  It had a small handle (like the old briefcases).  I loved how it clicked when it snapped shut, and I loved how the interior smelled - leather and powder.  Mmmmmmmm.

[Styyna]

This reminded me of my mother's old dark brown leather frame handbag.  It had a small handle (like the old briefcases).  I loved how it clicked when it snapped shut, and I loved how the interior smelled - leather and powder.  Mmmmmmmm.

I had a brown, leather edition of a frame handbag and I loved the smell too. I also loved how it kept me organized because there was only so much that could fit. Less is better, even in my handbag.

So why did I haul a burlap tote all over the Mayo Clinic yesterday, in addition to a monster handbag? Because I couldn't choose which book to take and I had a spare pair of shoes plus all my meds and supplements.

[Tupelo]

My everyday handbag is a brown leather backpack. I do have a drift of handbags and totes on a closet shelf, but this one bag is my every day grab and go. My one other favorite (for around town and shopping trips) is an Aigner cross-body bag. I have a small collection of vintage evening bags - 5, actually. I don't get to use them often, but I can stop buying them.

[Kelly]

I have one amazing vintage bag. My paternal grandmother was a flapper, and I have her silk purse from that era. It's a heavyweight silk cloth, indigo, and fully embroidered with beads that are made of what looks like iridescent blue carnival glass. The top of the pouch, which cinches shut with a braided cord, is piped in deep navy velvet. Absolutely stunning. And HEAVY!

For every day, I have a very old black leather Coach tote. No emblems or logos obvious advertising (which is the way I like it). The leather is so soft and beat up without looking worn. I can pile all my stuff into it or even use it for with with a laptop and lunch. It also makes a great summer-weekend getaway bag, if I am traveling light.

For smaller everyday wear, I have a buttery-soft Kate Spade hobo bag.

I wish I were more adventurous with color. Almost all my handbags or are black, bone, British tan, and red. Although I do have a Cole Haan bag that is a luscious shade of pea green I love how that looks against my black pea coat.

I think I own one structured bag with handle (a very old Dooney & Bourke), but it has a flat, no frame or clasp. Is mid-80s considered vintage?

[Styyna]

I have a small collection of vintage evening bags. From Norway I have an old (before they were protected) sealskin evening bag. And I kept my mother's evening bags that go back many decades. I never use them but I'm going to make a display case for them. They are so pretty.

[Kelly]

A display would be so nice!

I forgot that I have a sealskin purse, too. It's really just a change purse, but it has a frame and a clasp and a red velvet interior. My father picked it up for me on his travels to Alaska back in the early 70s.

[Veuve]

Zuzu, that vintage silk flapper handbag sounds divine! I would love to see a picture if you are ever so inclined.

[Kelly]

Zuzu, that vintage silk flapper handbag sounds divine! I would love to see a picture if you are ever so inclined.

Sure! I have to dig it out. It has been a while since I used it. It might have been as long ago as the bachelor auction where I met my starter husband, when he begged me to buy him so he wouldn't go to some other poor woman.

[Poppyfields]

Is mid-80s considered vintage?

I believe I heard on a TV fashion show that anything over 25 years old is vintage.   

[Kelly]

Is that for apparel? With cars, 10 years is vintage, and 25 is antique!

[BettyBoop]

Is that for apparel? With cars, 10 years is vintage, and 25 is antique!

So what's 50 years? Decrepit?

[Kelly]

Is that for apparel? With cars, 10 years is vintage, and 25 is antique!

So what's 50 years? Decrepit?

Classic, baby, classic.

[Styyna]

I'm back on the hunt for a bag like this. I found an Etsy maker who makes the basic structure with lots and lots of glitz so I wrote and asked if she could make a simple brown or black one for me.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

[makinalist]

Surely she can! I can't believe how hard this is to find now - I remember my mother carrying one like that to church every Sunday.  Shoulder bags didn't really become popular until the 60's, right?

[Styyna]

She can't because she doesn't work with leather. She referred me to Bags Babylon who makes lovely frame handbags with clasps.

The prices, though probably excellent for handmade, caused a bit of sticker shock. I guess I was still thinking about the 60's.

Still, I might see if she'd make one a little more to my liking than those she shows. I would like something that stands on its little feet, opens wide but not too wide, and stays open until I close it. I don't need to carry huge items but the small ones I have (small wallet, largish coin purse, cell phone, glasses case for switching between sunglasses and regular, keys, notepad, pen, and of course at least one lipstick and compact) get "fat" in my purses. I don't care if things stack. That's why I like the base, the frame for support, and the way it narrows going from top to bottom.

I don't need a large frame bag. The smaller doctor's style is in the running, less the over-wide/thick strap and the frilly decoration (can't tell if it's attached but I think it is). I also prefer the clasp style of the larger doctor's style bag. I like things to be simple and unobtrusive yet practical. I think it's usually easier to adorn a plain item than to "unadorn" original decorative features.