February 28, 2016
BY STUART MESIRES
Last August, when I was perusing through my copy of Vogue, I was pleasantly surprised to see the photo below shot by Bruce Weber.
Photo by Bruce Weber from the August 2015 issue of Vogue.
It was part of an editorial called “Box Set” about the new trend for box-shaped handbags. A trend which continues on into the spring. I was drawn to the photo because the Dolce & Gabbana bags that the model is holding reminded me immediately of the bags designed by one of my all-time favorite handbag designers, Enid Collins.
Enid Collins in her studio in the 1960s.
Two Enid Collins 1960s ‘Cable Car’ Handbags.
Enid Roessler Collins (1918–1990) grew up in San Antonio, Texas. She attended Texas Woman’s University and studied fashion design and fine arts. She met and married Frederic Collins, an engineering draftsman and sculptor who had attended the University of Michigan. The two moved to a ranch in Medina, Texas, to be ranchers. In 1946, in order to supplement their income, they made leather handbags and started the Collins of Texas Handbag Company. The bags were designed by Enid, made out of saddle leather and trimmed with brass castings cast by Frederic. The bags had an equestrian feel and reflected the Collins’ love of horses. A running colt was adopted into their logo.
Frederic and Enid Collins making leather handbags.
A rare example of one of the early leather handbags made by Collins of Texas.
The living room of the Collins’ ranch house soon became a workshop as they filled special orders for friends and supplied the small shops at nearby dude ranches.
Around 1959, the Collinses started producing wooden box purses and canvas bucket-style bags trimmed in leather. The bags were hand screen-printed with an image, then embellished with sequins, glass beads and rhinestones.
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Enid Collins’ 1960s Collins of Texas ‘Les Fleurs’ bag from Ladybug Vintage.
There were many different bag designs, each with a whimsical, humorous and sometimes ironic title. Over the years, more than 100 designs were produced with such names as, “Glitterbugs,” “Flutterbye,” “Money Tree,” “Road Runner,” ”Night Owl,” “Carriage Trade,” “Money to Burn,” ”Sea Garden” and “Love. Often there were several variations on a theme as popular designs were updated and changed with the different seasons.
Enid Collins’ 1967 Collins of Texas ‘Lady Bug’ box bag from Ladybug Vintage.
Enid Collins’ 1960s Collins of Texas ‘Love’ box bag from Ladybug Vintage.
Enid Collins’ 1960s Collins of Texas ‘Aquarius’ bag. Part of the zodiac series.
Collins of Texas produced a series of special box bags made with gold leather handles that were meant to be used as evening bags. The example below is called “Night Owl.”
Enid Collins’, 1960s Collins of Texas ‘Night Owl’ box bag with rare gold leather handle.
The bags came with hang tags. The one below is from a bag dating to the early 1960s.
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Front and back of a hang tag from the 1960s that came with a Collins of Texas handbag.
From 1966 to 1968, Collins of Texas made papier mâché handbags and jewelry in a factory in Puerto Rico. These pieces can now be hard to find as production was limited to two years and the items are very delicate.
Enid Collins papier maché brooch.
Enid Collins’, Collins of Texas papier maché handbag.
Interior of papier maché handbag.
Collins of Texas really took off when a designer friend of the Collinses suggested that they submit samples to the handbag buyer at Neiman Marcus. They did, and an order was placed. Their bags quickly became the must-have accessory among fashionable ladies everywhere.
Advertisements appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue and other top magazines of the era.
Collins of Texas advertisement from the November 15, 1969 issue of the New Yorker.
Many advertisements featured the Collins’ daughter Cynthia.
The Collins’ daughter, Cynthia was featured in many advertisements.
1960’s Collins of Texas advertisement featuring political box bags.
In 1970, Collins of Texas was sold to the Tandy Corporation, which continued to manufacture bags branded “Collins of Texas,” but Enid Collins stopped designing the bags. The company did not want to rely solely on one person. Collins of Texas bags can be dated by looking at how they were signed. The earliest bags are signed with “Enid Collins” or a lower-case “ec” and are often dated by year. The later bags do not have Enid Collins’ name on them. They are signed, “Collins of Texas” or with a capital “C” and a running horse. Collectors prefer the earliest signed works.
The inside of a 1966 canvas bucket handbag.
The outside of a 1960s canvas bucket handbag, signed with Enid Collins’ initials ‘ec’.
The inside of a 1966 box bag.
The inside of a box bag dating from after 1970.
The outside of a box bag dating from after 1970.
Even though Enid Collins’ Collins of Texas bags are no longer being produced, vintage ones can be found. If you are considering the bag below, made by Dolce & Gabbana for Spring 2016, just remember that everything old really is new again but “Daisies Won’t Tell!”
Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2016 Crystal Flower Satchel Bag.
Enid Collins’, Collins of Texas 1960s ‘Daisies Won’t Tell’ box bag.
