Help find hippie purse!

July 5, 2007 9:37 AM

I'm trying to replace my girlfriend's hippie purse.

My girlfriend says she bought this purse at a headshop in some unidentified city and swears that they were found in every fashionable hippie store for a while. Unfortunately, now that it's time to replace hers, there's none to be found. She doesn't need an exact replica but she wants something at around the same size (nearly square, about 6'x8') and with a strap that is at most an inch and a half wide. The purse must also be cloth. I feel certain that such a product must exist out there. All hints and pointers will be appreciated.

posted by cyphill to shopping (11 comments total)

I would suggest looking through Etsy to see if you can find something that is similar. I would wager that someone is already making something very much like what she already has, but if not, many sellers are happy to take custom orders.
posted by fuzzbean at 9:44 AM on July 5, 2007

Look here. Maybe there is something that would work?
posted by sulaine at 9:45 AM on July 5, 2007

Here's a brand carried on eBay that looks similar. I found these by googling "handmade cotton purse".

Buy her some tickets to a music festival and then troll the parking lot. Someone'll be selling them.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:50 AM on July 5, 2007

The fabric inset on the front of her purse is distinctly Indian embroidery (with the little bits of mirrors knitted in). Try looking in import stores such as Cost Plus or online here, here, here, or google "indian embroidered mirror bag"
posted by jamaro at 9:57 AM on July 5, 2007

You might try your local farmer's market or Ten thousand villages (in some cities but also online.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:00 AM on July 5, 2007

try
This eBay store
this etsy item
This page at Ten Thousand Villages
and this page at Ten Thousand Villages.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 10:51 AM on July 5, 2007

Seconding Etsy... possibly this seller in particular, they have hippie-style patterns & they're made from recycled army bags.
posted by Laura in Canada at 10:52 AM on July 5, 2007

My mom's purse looks a lot like that (except for the Indian embroidery). She sewed it herself because she couldn't find one like she wanted at a store. If you know anyone locally who likes to sew, they could easily construct a purse to your girlfriend's specifications.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:31 AM on July 5, 2007

2nding get it sewn. I made one not unlike that when I was a teen-aged hippie... I used a beige raw silk material that looked almost burlap-y, and some heavy embroidered fabric off a vintage pillow. An afternoon in thrift shops would probably bring up really nice stuff to make it out of, and the sewing's simple (and thus, cheap).
posted by kmennie at 11:36 AM on July 5, 2007

Don't forget Alchemy on Etsy (where you can post requests for a certain item and crafters will make it for you)!

The search term you might also want to use is "shisha" -- it's the type of mirror embroidery seen here. Look! a book on it! (if she'd like to try to make one herself).

This seller on Etsy does some shisha work, maybe email her?
posted by bitter-girl.com at 4:29 PM on July 5, 2007

Just a note relating to bitter-girl.com's post above: shisha is also used to refer to hookah or hookah tobacco, so you will definitely need to filter your search.
posted by MadamM at 4:57 PM on July 5, 2007