5 Reasons to Buy a Vintage Handbag

As you well know, we at SF Indie Fashion love us some vintage. And a you-won’t-see-it-everywhere-else aesthetic is only part of the romance. There are many more reasons to shop vintage these days – for yourself or someone else. Our friends at Ubokia recently gave us five good ones, and we thought we’d share.

Reasons your next handbag should be vintage:

1.    Save money. This one’s obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. A well-made handbag will last for years. When you buy a quality vintage handbag, you’re getting all the benefits of new at a fraction of the price.

2.    Greener. Handbags take a lot of resources – just think of all the raw materials that go into making a new bag, not to mention all the chemicals and dyes used to treat the leather or fabric. But when you buy vintage, you’re giving new life to old materials rather than contributing to the extraction of new ones. It’s a zero-footprint way to be fashionable.

3.    Vintage is in. Need we say more?

4.    Built-in character. While the new-handbag smell is nice, a vintage one has character and a story to tell. If you don’t know the story behind your handbag, make one up. When someone asks you where you got your gorgeous handbag, it’s way better than saying, “At the mall.”

5.    Make money. Like we said in #1, a well-made handbag will last for years. That means that only can you save money by buying vintage, you can also make money by selling it to someone else when you’re done. It’s a virtuous cycle, really. Buy a new-to-you bag, love it, sell it, rinse, repeat.

This post is brought to you by Ubokia, the place to buy, sell, trade and borrow gently used handbags and other fashion accessories. Be sure to check out their Perfect Handbag Giveaway, too!

To enter, create a free Ubokia account and post a Want for a handbag. That’s it! You’ll be automatically entered to win a handbag of your choice, up to $500. The winners will be announced on December 21, 2011.

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This post sponsored by Ubokia. We love our sponsors and hope you will, too. They make it possible for us to keep bringing you San Francisco’s independent fashion news five days a week.


We Came, We Saw, We Shopped: City Dolls

Stepping into Space Gallery for the City Dolls trunk show to do a little holiday shopping was like stepping into an alternate universe, thanks to an art installation by Bunny Reiss and Monica Canilao (en route to the SF MOMA) composed of quilts, lace, branches and collected items ranging from dream catchers to paper cutouts. The overall effect: a gallery with a romantic, bohemian vibe. Oh, and sweet unique finds from local designers and artists.

An amazing art installation by Bunny Reiss and Monica Canilao was a centerpiece of the event.

Gathered at the Polk street space to spread holiday cheer and handcrafted gifts alongside chow provided by Whiskey Commons Street Food and spiked hot ciders were a number of California artists and designers, including Siri Hanson Jewelry, The Loin, Christine Mayrina Jewelry, K.M. Knits, Olivous Retro Jewelry, Stolen Sunday, Paulina Carcach Handbags, Black Pyramid Vintage, Anisa Esmail Jewelry, Phoenix the Fox, Amour Vert and Dear Mina Jewelry.

During our chat at the trunk show, City Dolls founder Kirsten Incorvaia told me she wanted to, “create a place for people to shop that wasn’t about the hectic holiday pressure… a fun and friendly environment unlike the impersonal malls” of the world. The event on Saturday night was the second-ever City Dolls trunk show.

Read on for a few of my favorite items at the show:

Christine Mayrina is a jewelry collector who sources her vintage and antique jewelry from a list of places that ranges from the American Southwest to Turkey for a collection with a bold, international vibe.

Statement necklaces, antique cocktail rings and belly-dancer bangles from the Christine Mayrina Jewelry collection.

Dear Mina, a handmade jewelry line by Mina Caragay, is both modern and primitive, hard and soft, solid and fluid. Her pieces are made with crystals, semi-precious stones, rock specimens, metals and textiles, and fun touches like skull beads and arrowheads happily marry the sophisticated with the quirky.

Jewelry by Dear Mina

Shop or design your own purse with a visit to Paulina Carcach, who has has been personally designing unique and handcrafted handbags since 2008. In luxuriously soft leather with thoughtful details, her bags are affordable and well-made. You can design your own bag on her website and get inspiration from bags in her shop and from previous collections.

Gorgeous handcrafted leather bags by Paulina Carcach (photograph courtesy Paulina Carcach)

Inspired by nature, Siri Hanson's whimsical jewelry line.

Siri Hanson Jewelry is a San Francisco local who creates her handmade pieces from such various materials as clay, rolled bits of magazine paper, metal work, and strips of leather reclaimed from a pair of gloves found at an estate sale. In addition to her line of funky jewelry, she also had on display some handmade ceramic Christmas tree ornaments.

Photography by Alexandra Naughton

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa

Secondhand News: Sui Generis Launches Online Boutique

Part of the holiday collection from the new Sui Generis online boutique is this Lanvin black silk mini dress, size 4, ($480) paired with purple silk velvet YSL pumps featuring snake skin heels and mink ankle straps, size 8, ($280).

Guys will find a bold, yet classic pairing with this Jill Sander wool and mohair coat, size 38, ($345) and Jill Sander fuchsia pullover, size medium, and Marc Jacobs wool Pants in size 31 ($110).

A classic black on cream wool Chanel coat in size 4 ($1,400) with silk bow at the neck and white Chanel wedges in size 9 ($300) with gold hardware details are among the chic picks in the newly launched shop.

Versace fans will no doubt swoon over this great condition black leather vintage Gianni Versace jacket, size large,with gold detachable hardware details and Medusa snap buttons ($426), a Versace silk print shirt, size large, ($244) and Helmut Lang leather pants in size 32 ($260).

Hot on the designer vintage heels of its land-based expansion, which brought a larger men’s shop and a brand new women’s boutique to San Francisco’s Castro earlier this year, Sui Generis continues to up its secondhand glam quotient with the official launch today of the Sui Generis Online Boutique. Stocked with rare, hard-to-find, vintage and designer consignment pieces for men and women, the shop offers easy access to the Market Street shops’ selection of apparel and accessories handpicked by owners Miguel Lopez and Gabriel Yanez.

In addition to the items shown here from the shops’ holiday editorial photo shoot with photographer Cecilia Austin and stylist Ken Baldwin, a recent perusal of the shop turned up such to-die-for finds as a pair of men’s Balenciaga high-top sneakers in black and brown, Ann Demeulemeester adjustable height leather boots, a perfectly polished Alexander McQueen wool dress and a Marc Jacobs brown leather mini skirt.

To celebrate the launch of the online boutique, shoppers can take 15 percent off of any purchase over $200 until December 25 with the discount code SG2011XMAS. If you’re a local resident, you can save a little more by picking up your online purchases at the store. Free gift wrapping is also an option at check-out.

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Photography courtesy Cecilia Austin for Sui Generis; art direction and styling by Ken Baldwin

Six Local & Stunning Holiday Party Dresses

Need a holiday party dress? A fun little number for your next big night out? The perfect sparkly, festive, fun thing to don on New Year’s? We’ve picked six party dresses we’d wear in snap. All hail from independent San Francisco sources and are available for sale over the webby-web.

Don the Celeste dress by Kirribilla in black lace with scooped back, gathered bell sleeves, and a statement bow, and you’re sure to turn heads at your next event:

The front is sophisticated, with sleeves and a defined waist.

The back has a big bow for added drama

Make a statement with sequin-covered shoulders and a bombshell silhouette with the Vintage 80′s Trophy Dress from Gravel Ghost Vintage. P.S. the back is open, and the shoulders are padded for even more head-turning impact.

Embellished shoulders and a knee-grazing length stand out in this vintage 80's number from Gravel Ghost Vintage.

Sometimes, when you know you’re about to get loose, you want to dress loose. Amour Vert’s Wendy dress (you knew we were going to throw in an animal print option, le duh) is sassy, eco-friendly and will also let you dance to your heart’s content. We’re thinking big heels and a fitted, cropped jacket would round out this holiday look.

The Wendy dress will let you dance, eat and flounce around the party to your heart's content, thanks to its free-flowing shape and empire styling.

Brighten up the room in this red Alyssa Nicole Cut-Out dress with open shoulders, a gathered skirt and scoop neck. Plus, it comes fully lined and is handmade:

This party dress is made-to-order by a local designer.

The fun and versatile Monaco dress by Eliza Parker is a dressy way to do comfortable stretch jersey. The neckline is also begging for an amazing statement necklace from one of your favorite local jewelry designers.

The Monoco dress by Eliza Parker has a flattering neckline, three-quarter sleeves and also comes in black and burgundy.

Ruffle some feathers (in the best way possible) with the Sierra dress from LHC Couture. With its sweetheart neckline, body-hugging fit and real feather detail, we think it’s festive done with an avant-garde twist. Also, the styling possibilities are fairly endless. We can see this one dressed up with sparkling accessories and soft makeup for the girlie girls or paired with dark tights, huge heels and smoky eyes for a result that’s much more glam-goth.

You'll flock to the Sierra dress by LHC Couture. Hip-level feathers are do avant-garde in a festive way.

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa

Don’t Miss: City Dolls Trunk Show

Everyone talks about social commerce these days. Here’s how we’d prefer to see it go down: in the arty surroundings of Space Gallery with a solid selection of local designers on display and a spiked cider in hand. That’s exactly what you’ll find at City Dolls Trunk Show on Saturday night.

The free evening event (open to 21+) takes over the Polk Street event space this weekend for a showing of work from local labels such as Amour Vert, Dear Mina and Stolen Sunday. You’ll find vintage and designer clothing, handbags, shoes, leather goods and jewelry on offer, as well as music, art installations and tasty edibles.

Shop from:

Siri Hanson Jewelry
The Loin
Christine Mayrina Jewelry
K.M. Knits
Olivous Retro Jewelry
Stolen Sunday
Paulina Carcach Handbags
Black Pyramid Vintage
Anisa Esmail Jewelry
Phoenix the Fox
Amour Vert
Dear Mina Jewelry
Whiskey Commons Street Food

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SF Indie Fashion is a City Dolls media sponsor