6.23.2010

WEDNESDAY BAG ♥ ENID COLLINS

Wednesday Bag will feature bags OR something I have an opinion about OR maybe some to-die-for accessory...something in the bag. Today I'm going to introduce some of you to the whimsy of Enid Collins Bags. (I love the name Enid, too!)



Here's a bit about Enid Collins and her bags:

♥  Enid's company Collins of Texas opened in Medina, Texas in 1959.
♥  Enid Collins was owner (until it was sold in 1970 to another company) and the designer,  creating  her super cute handbags.
♥  They produced two types of purses: the canvas bucket, which I love, and the wooden box bags, which sit nicely on display. Every bag was hand-decorated, by Enid, which is what she preferred.
♥ Enid's company produced Sophistikits in the 1960s, a DIY bag kit. Collectors still seek an uncompleted kit, which is a rare find. 
♥  There are a lot of Enid Collin-esque bags. So many. But Enid Collins bags are signed. Box bags have Enid Collins' signature underneath and usually the date, too. Some bags are signed with a lower case "ec" or a simple lower case "c". And if you find a capital "C" or "Collins of Texas", that means the bag is post 1970, when Enid sold her company to Tandy (who continued to produce the bags). You can see the different signatures on the different bags in the photos. And you'll also notice that all the bags have the name of its design on the bag, like "night owls" on the owl box bag. 


I've found a lot of good finds at garage sales and thrift stores, but the only place I've ever seen Enid bags are at vintage shops. If I discovered one in a far-out thrift shop somewhere,  I'd flip out. I mean, just take a moment to think...can you imagine women walking around in the 60s carrying these bags? Must have looked amazing, like everything else 60s. It's also really cool that once upon a time you could make crafty bags that would end up iconic fashion pieces.

My vision for her bags is being in Miami, wearing a shortened mini-version of a vintage Lily Pullitzer dress, a big floppy hat, huge round sunglasses, really tanned legs, flip-flops and a canvas bucket Enid Collins bag like the butterfly above. ♡






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