Text f Handbags and shoes

For the affluent mature woman, low cost was not necessarily a major concern. The emphasis was still on having good matching accessories: 'It is a well-worn truth that it is far better to .have a few well-made pairs of shoes, perfect gloves, one handsome hand­bag, than a rainbow of not-so-goods' stated The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Good Taste in 1958. In the early 1950s, bags grew larger and pastels became fashionable: 'Carried unanimously... The new length handbag, roomy without being bulky...all the season's new fashion shades, including mauve, lavender, pale blue, grey etc.

The growth of boutiques in Paris at the beginning of the 1950s meant that top designers could .sell fashionable accessories under their own names to a much wider audience. London soon followed suit. Matching ensembles were all the rage and demanded co-ordinating accessories: 'Matching goes to the length not merely of colour but of fabric; such as the gloves and the evening bags at Peter Russell'.' Edward Rayne was the name in matching shoes and handbags. As he staled. 'The total look's the point!" In 1963 Rayne offered matching leather shoes and bag in a pink and green rosebud print. Sometimes complete outfits were made to match, such as a japonica pink nappa leather bag by Jane Shilton, which accompanied japonica pink shoes and a suit.

For the evening there were clutch bags from the costume jewellers Fior, in flowered blue or yellow Ascher silk for 39s. 6d: 'a beautifully ordered riot of colour, and especially lovely when applied to snowy white dresses' according to Vogue in lime 1956. If money was no object, a black satin bag with an 18-carat gold frame set with diamonds was avail­able for £430 from Asprey.

The various handbag shapes in Britain in the 1950s were designed to complement the fashionable silhouettes of the time: the slim, tailored look; the belted, lull-skirted floral dress shape; and the new princess line, 'unbroken from bust to hem'. The manner in which the handbag was held was stylistically important. For formal day wear, the clas­sic .metal framed handbag was worn over the wrist or held by the handles. The smart and neat clutch bag or envelope was usually clasped close to the body. Bucket bags, a devel­opment of the' open shopping bag that was typical of informal wear, were held in tin-crook of the elbow. Early types included a stiffened calf bag with an inner protective drawstring cover by Susan Handbags in 1952. A scoop-shaped model by Fior was stud­ded in gilt and had an adjustable handle, while Revelation produced a bucket bag in tough hide and lined with check duster cloth for 55s. Open bucket bags, unlike hand­bags, were not subject to purchase tax.

In 1953 there was a brief craze originating in France for toy handbags, but by October 1955 handbag styles in Britain had polarized:

Handbags have a new tailored dash - some tiny as a man's wallet, some big as briefcases. All give the final touch to a fashion plan; balance and reinforce it by line, texture and colour; give the tonic effect of a brilliant pink with black, alabaster with marigold.

One of the most significant trends of the late 1950s was the popularity of huge hand­bags, needed to balance rising and widening hemlines. The 1958 December issue of Vogue noted that 'the bigger the better is the new philosophy for the handbag buyer'. 'Combinations of different materials, such as tweed and leather, were popular at this time, and matching bags and shoes in Irish linen or Swiss lace were summer favourites. The dynamic of the overarm bag with three-quarter length sleeves, slim wrists and gloved hands was essential to fashion in the 1950s. The relationship of bags to shoes was equally important as they were so often paired together.