VTG MARCUS BROTHERS White Wicker and Swirled LUCITE BOX PURSE Signed 50s

Description: FOR MY AVID VINTAGE PURSE COLLECTORS - A FANTASTIC Marcus Brothers of Miami FROM THE 1950's IN A RARE FORM. VTG MARCUS BROs OF MIAMI White Wicker and Opaque Swirled LUCITE BOX PURSE. Mixed Gold and Silver Tone Hardware & Embellishments. Twist Button Closure. White Fabric Lining. Bears Designer Label Which Reads: "Marcus Brothers Made In British Crown Colony of Hong Kong". circa 1950 Measures: 9.5"W x 6"H x 5"Deep Handle 5" x 5" In EXCELLENT condition. Has couple of small spots on lining that appear very superficial in nature and easily can be cleaned. GOOD LUCK!! HONG KONG'S Important Role in Fashion History: After the turn of the century, the world went through two epic wars and a depression. Not the best time for selling showy imports to the masses. And garment labels, while much more common, were still smallish and not a key marketing tool (unless you were buying from a couturier or the occasional forward-thinking boutique). This lack of technology & marketing was part of Hong Kong's early 20th century history, but it was soon to change. Labor and fabrics were cheap in Hong Kong, and British tariffs were lenient. There was great interest in manufacture on the island, and by the 1940s, a budding garment industry developed with focus on Western styles due to the British colonial influence. It wasn't until the Baby Boomer generation that label-focused status clothing began to become a widespread phenomenon. Women no longer had to wish for the clothes they saw their Hollywood counterparts wear. Post World War II, they had plentiful access to better designs and fabrics, and they looked to Hong Kong (among other markets) to supply it. Women often preferred Asian imports as they had superior finishing and beadwork, a highly popular detail in 50s & 60s formal wear. Popular styles from British Hong Kong included beaded sweaters and dresses, wicker bags, and tailored silk suits. And by this time, the Hong Kong garment industry was thriving. The patterns had been perfected, and more sophisticated equipment had been imported to the colony, including label machines. By the late 1950s, labels had caught up to match industry maturation - they'd grown larger and more detailed, with graphics brocaded in multiple colors. They'd also become a status symbol of the upper crust. During this period, one posh boutique took to sewing its store label into coats upside-down, so that when the coat was shrugged off onto a club chair, it could easily be read by her friends nearby. Many Designers sent their ready-to-wear lines overseas for mass production in one of Hong Kong's many factories. And alongside the store label was often an imported label, like those from the island of Hong Kong, which remained a British colony until 1997. Its popularity as a marketing tool lessened by the late 1960s. At this point, markets began to focus on casual wear for daily living, and there was no place for the cost of fancy brocade labels in tees and leisure suits. But that key phrase - made in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong - lingered until the 1980s in designer labels, and remains sewn into many a vintage clothing collector's closet.

Price: 141 USD

Location: Dallas, Texas

End Time: 2024-12-21T02:08:02.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD