“Slip-covered” Purse

Submitted by Douglas Wood August 10th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

At first glance this looks like an ordinary purse, but if you were to see the real thing in front of you, its kitsch value would be painfully obvious.  Let me explain:  this  vintage (early sixties?) clutch purse is made of pale yellow satin.   But…

…the whole thing is covered in thick vinyl, much like those suburban couches of my youth that were encased in slip-covers.  (Not in my own home, but in my grandparents’ house and a few of my friends’ houses.)  Such a bizarre concept– slipcovers essentially say, “Please don’t stain this– it needs to look nice when I use it for someone more important.”

One Response to ““Slip-covered” Purse”

  1. Allee Willis

    I consider myself an expert in the field of 1960’s clutch purses. Not because I collect them now but because I bought one for every fancy occasion during high school, which occurred in that decade. It was totally common for any kind of fabric to line either a soft clear vinyl or clear plastic shell. However, very special to see it on the outside , let alone woven like this one is. I took an orange colored clutch to my prom. I remember how happy I was that the fabric was inside the plastic because I held it in my lap while I ate and constantly dropped food on it.

    This is a pretty crazy looking purse.