1960s Plastic Purse and Children's wear
Uncovering the history of Emily's 1960s finds
I recently received an email from a follower, Emily, who shared two fantastic vintage pieces she and her daughter had acquired: A polka dot dress and plastic flower purse! The way they complement each other is truly delightful! At first glance, the cool colors, patterns, and boldness of these items led me to suspect they might be from the 1960s, but let's dive in and see what we can discover…
The Purse
When I used Google Lens to examine the purse, I stumbled upon a similar one on Etsy. This vintage 1960s "Dream Petals" plastic flower purse, made in Czechoslovakia by Plastimat, is almost identical except for the color—it's in black instead of red. The description highlights:
This darling little purse features a one-of-a-kind design, with an intricate white flower pattern with gold loop accents and a dainty gold chain handle. The shell is made of white plastic with a black velvet insert. This rare gem was made by the brand “Plastimat', and it was produced in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s.
In the 1960s, purses were often crafted from unique materials like straw, wicker, velvet, and, notably, vinyl and plastic. Young, mod women particularly loved vinyl and plastic purses, as synthetic fibers and plastics became more common and affordable. It's easy to imagine a stylish girl carrying this bag with a matching dress! Czechoslovakia was also well-known for producing high-quality purses during the mid-century, therefore…
I think we can safely assume this purse is probably from the 1960s!
The Dress
Moving on to the dress, the label “Hillman of Miami” didn't yield any immediate results on Google, so I turned to Newspapers.com. There, I found ads featuring the "Hillman of Miami" label from as early as 1951 to as late as 1972, with most of them concentrated in the 1960s and early 1970s.
These ads primarily focused on children's wear, often mentioning beachwear, vacation clothing, and school clothes. Although I couldn't determine the size of the dress based on the photo alone, due to the many references to children’s clothing… Hillman of Miami was likely a kid’s brand!
Given that Miami was a thriving resort destination in the mid-century, it's no surprise that "Hillman of Miami" was popular. The style of the dress, with its unique sleeves and use of polka dots, was particularly popular during the 1960s. The buttons down the front suggest it might have been a swimsuit coverup and might’ve even come with a matching swimsuit!
Based on these clues, I'm confident that both the purse and the dress are indeed from the 1960s!
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe and feel free to submit your own vintage pieces. I would love to see what I can find!
I love doing this kind of detective work on my purchases! Well done!💕
Do you wear vintage stockings