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'Stardust' evening bag

Evening Bag
1950 to 1960 (made)
Artist/Maker
Wilardy Originals (designer)
Place of origin
USA (made)

'Stardust' lucite evening bag, made by Wilardy Originals, USA, 1950-1960. This bag is known as the ‘Stardust’ design, owing its name to the lamination technique, in which glitter and net were layered between sheets of clear Lucite. The bag has a layered structure: on top there is an internal compact with a mirror, and underneath there is an internal cigarette case. The body of the bag closes with a metal press stud.

Object details

Categories
Bags
Plastic
Object type
Evening bag
Title'Stardust' evening bag
Materials and techniques
Plastic (lucite), metal
Plastic
Lucite
Brief description
Handbag, plastic, lucite, made by Wilardy, USA, 1950-1960.
Physical description
'Stardust' lucite evening bag, made by Wilardy Originals, USA, 1950-1960. This bag is known as the ‘Stardust’ design, owing its name to the lamination technique, in which glitter and net were layered between sheets of clear Lucite. The bag has a layered structure: on top there is an internal compact with a mirror, and underneath there is an internal cigarette case. The body of the bag closes with a metal press stud.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12cm
  • Width: 13cm
  • Depth: 10.5cm
  • Handle drop height: 11cm
Gallery label
(12/2020)
Small vanity cases are often a miracle of miniaturisation. They are considered jewels to grace the hands of elegant women during a soirée, yet are cleverly equipped with tiny compartments devised to carry make-up or even cigarettes. The Mappin & Webb example [M.140 to C-1984], although only 6 cm wide when closed, contains a mirror, an eyebrow pencil and holder, a lipstick and a power puff.

V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out.
Bibliographic reference
Bags V&A Exhibition (Project) Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 93
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.170-2019

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Record createdMarch 12, 2019
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1483246/stardust-evening-bag-evening-bag-wilardy-originals/
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