Help mend the chink in my fashion armor!

November 25, 2007 3:58 PM

This is my faaaavorite purse. It is made of black metal mesh, or mail, in tiles of about 1/4". I tied it to my handlebars once and I think some of the tiles were knocked off by the tire. Now a corner is bare, missing pieces. Can anyone help me find this bag or these tiles so I can carry this bag with my head held high once more?

I bought it in a chintzy imports store in the mall, the kind of place with lots of barrettes and rhinestone accessories. There are no tags.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

I've never seen individual tiles like that sold anywhere (though I've never looked), so I'm guessing your best bet is to start fresh. If you can't find the same or a similar purse at the imports store, you might try an antique mall/vintage store for this type of purse. It may vary regionally, but at least in the midwest I see this style of purse at all of the antiques stores I've been to in the past few years (from the messiest, dustiest antique malls to the fancier places).
posted by Meg_Murry at 5:01 PM on November 25, 2007

I know nothing can replace your favorite bag, but this is similar and pretty cool. If you look at one of the smaller pictures you can see it with a shoulder strap.
posted by Evangeline at 6:22 PM on November 25, 2007

On second look, that was MUCH smaller than I realized. Sorry 'bout that.
posted by Evangeline at 6:24 PM on November 25, 2007

Okay, I just found this on Ebay.

The hardest thing is finding a bag with a handle similar to the one you have.

"Whiting and Davis" seems to be a good label to search on.

Now I'll stop before I'm up until 1:00 am looking for the perfect replacement for your bag. I get a little obsessive when I'm on a web hunt.
posted by Evangeline at 6:45 PM on November 25, 2007

Response by poster: Evangeline, thanks for the leads. The crucial difference between this bag and other mesh ones is the size of the tiles. Just wanted to reiterate that, because if it weren't so I would be able to cannibalize another metal mesh purse for them.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 7:03 PM on November 25, 2007

you know what, lovely ambrosia....
it's not the answer you were asking for.... but i kind of like it with the nude corner.

it adds to it's character. makes it looked worn and loved.

you could always put something on both corners to contrast instead of match... like some red leather or sequins or something.

but as i said, i like it nuded up in one little bit.
posted by taff at 8:55 PM on November 25, 2007

Yeah, well it also makes it look kind of junky. Just sayin'.

I'd take it to a jeweler or shoe repair place. They might know someone who could work on that. Or a fabric/beading/jewelry supply store. These kinds of places also tend to have active bulletin boards.
posted by rhizome at 10:50 PM on November 25, 2007