Cavas And Leather Bag (Photo credits: West Elm) |
Owning any vintage
designer handbag is the best way to assure you will not see your handbag in the
possession of another woman. Vintage handbags allow you to express your fashion
style in a very unique way. Vintage stores many times offer a large selection
of designer bags that have been taken care of extremely well by their previous
owners. Some handbags that are not quite as vintage as others more of the
''pre-owned "less aged variety will just save you money over its newer
counterpart. There are also some incredibly expensive vintage bags due to their
age and uniqueness that can cost thousands and actually be considered an
investment in a collectible.
Most women are just looking for vintage bags to highlight
their personal style. When you plan to straight up buy a vintage handbag make
sure that you pick a dealer that has a good reputation for selling genuine
vintage handbags. A reputable dealer ill be able to tell you the history of the
handbag and how it was made.
If you're like me the biggest thrill I get is the actual
hunt for a vintage handbag. I have a friend who frequents estate sales and
finds the most fabulous bags in those mystery boxes they let you bid on at the
end of the sale. She eBay's here finds but I get first dibs. If you have the
time and the where withal to deal with acquiring a lot of junk, mystery boxes
from estate sales are a great way to find vintage handbags and vintage clothing
as well in general.
You can always garage sale things that you do not want or
give them to good will. You will want to invest in various books and do some online
research to get a ball park idea of what your vintage handbag is worth. You can
also sell the finds that you don't want to carry to your local upscale
consignment shop and more than make up for your investment.
Other places to hunt for vintage handbags are garage
sales, boutique section of thrift stores, and older relative's closets. Your
great Aunt Hilda will be thrilled that you want to carry her favorite beaded
dress bag. If the bag has some real financial worth be sure to compensate your
older relative with a reasonable price or by organizing her closet. If she
wants nothing in return; treasure the handbag and pass it on to younger girls
in the family when you are done carrying it. A family heirloom vintage handbag
is a very special thing. You can make it more special by finding out what great
parties of the pass the handbag was carried to. This is a much better vintage
handbag history to have than simply how it was made and the year.
Garage sales and thrift stores are another source of
vintage handbags. You should do some research to recognize what you are seeing
at these places. You can ask the person sponsoring the garage sale the history
of the bag, but don't indicate that it may be worth something or you might find
it removed from the sale.
Things in the thrift store boutique section of thrift
stores have already been deemed to be more valuable by the staff at the thirty
stores due to their designer label or lack of wear. Thrift store staff usually
does not do research on the bags they sell or authenticate the fact they are
designer bags and not reproductions or copies. If the bags are not pricy buy
the bag before anyone else does. If you like it you may carry it anyway, even
if it is not the real McCoy.
Depending on the value of the bag you find and the wear
you may want to avoid having the bag restored. If you are buying the bag as an
investment you do not want the bag altered from its original condition as it
will lose value. If you simply want to carry the bag and it has minimal value
even if it is a vintage bag restore a way. You will get many more years use out
of a vintage bag you love.
You can find vintage handbags on eBay but you will also
find a lot of fakes. If you plan to purchase a bag on eBay make sure you pick a
reputable seller who will provide you with a certificate of authenticity. These
corticated can be faked as well. Unfortunately, reproductions are done so well
many times it is really hard for anyone but an expert to tell. If you are
defrauded on eBay you do have recourse via the eBay dispute process. Still you
might in the end, really end up holding the fake vintage handbag and be out the
money. Remember if it is too good to be true, it is not true.
If you are just looking for the look of a vintage handbag
you should check out the various retro reproduction sites that are available
online. The selection is not huge but you can intentionally pick the era of
handbag you would like to carry. Vintage handbags from the thirties are hard to
find and out of most of our price range.
Make finding a vintage handbag a project for the summer.
It is the garage sale season and the time of year lots of folks are disposing
of the things they put aside during their spring cleaning. Have fun and happy
vintage handbag hunting.
http://www.stylechicago.com/Category.asp?ID=13656 : Guide to buying designer Vintage
handbags.
http://www.handbagsportals.com/vintage_handbags.html : Where to buy vintage handbags.
http://handbags.wetpaint.com/page/Vintage%20Bags : List of books for the serious
handbag collector at the end of article.
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