Vintage Painted Leather Purse

There's little else that's as pretty and striking as a vintage painted leather purse dangling from your arm or shoulder as you dash around town. You can either seek them out as is, or unleash your creative side and find a vintage purse that you paint yourself!

Floral designs are very common on painted purses.

Although the hand-decorating of handbags goes back centuries, most of the vintage painted leather purses you will find are from the 1960s. In the hippie era, the bohemian look raged and women wanted to show off their individuality in every aspect of their appearance. They didn't have a lot of money, but they had creativity and brought it to bear in clothes and accessories. A cheap leather satchel or tote could quickly be made stylish with some fabric paint. Many of the boho bags of the day were decorated with classic hippie designs, like flowers, peace symbols and psychedelic swirls. Some women with serious artistic talent painted pastoral scenes or created their own version of a still life.

In as much as the hippies were forging an identity new and different from their forebears, the floral design of a painted purse was nothing new. Where women had once embroidered their reticules with flowers, many of the clear Lucite bags of the 1950s were in their turn hand-painted in floral patterns, among other options.

But the boho designs of the 1960s tended to be bolder and more abstract and have a warm, lively quality that makes them so desirable today.

Getting your hands on a hand-painted purse takes some effort. One of your first orders of business should be to sign up for eBay alerts, but that's really just to cover your bases. You will likely have the most luck working with online shops that deal exclusively in vintage objects, and especially handbags. There are many, and most of them will have an option for you to enter exactly the sort of purse for which you are looking so that you will be contacted when something similar comes into stock. Services and stock will vary, so it's best to browse and find a few sites you like and start working with them. Some popular sites include:

• Vintage in Style
• Vintage Bag
• Retro Designer Deals
• That Purse Place

And any number of others. Additionally, a number of shops specializing in vintage items will also carry a nice selection of handbags. It's good to just sign up with as many as offer the option, because you never know what will show up where.

Although vintage painted leather purses from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s are extremely rare, they are not unheard of. However, you should be aware that such items, always difficult to find, have now become even more desirable thanks to shows like Mad Men, where the women carry marvelous bags. If you do find one in good condition, be prepared to spend a lot of money for it.

There are two options for getting a vintage painted leather purse that wasn't painted in its day. One is to find a bag through a designer's own site. Many bag sellers will take a vintage handbag that has seen better days and in the process of restoration, they will cover discoloration by painting a design. Some will custom-paint something for you, including copying a photograph.

The other option, which is more fun, although also more risky, is to paint the bag yourself. You don't have to be an artist, but you do have to be patient and crafty. Even if you're just planning a simple, abstract design, be sure to draw it on paper first. And invest in the best possible fabric paint – if you're going to have a bag this fabulous, you want it to last!

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