Category: Bags

For a new tote that's steeped in nostalgia look no further than Hanna Melin's summer 1989 bag. It's covered with all sorts of drawings that capture her memories of that year when, judging from her biography, she was just eleven. 

Although 1989 seems relatively recent in my head, once you start looking at some of the clunky old technologies illustrated – the phones, typewriter and headphones – you realise just how much has changed in the world since then. Hanna's 'Play a Song for Me' bag was covered in cassette tapes and that motif is also picked up here with the wooden badge that comes with each bag. 

The bag costs £12 from the Hidden Art Shop

We have featured a couple of old school Adidas bags of late, so here's one from arguably its biggest competitor – the Nike Heritage Travel Bag.

Available in a dark blue or black, the bag has a great retro look, but a very modern use – as either a weekend bag or with its built-in padded sleeve, as a rather cool laptop bag.

Aside from that, there's a dual zip main compartment and an adjustable strap, wth the bag selling for £45.

Find out more at the End Clothing website

In the past we’ve featured shopping bags with all kinds of iconic imagery including one featuring Twiggy, but surely the Hilda Shopping Bag from Topshop takes this to a new level?

It features a picture of the Coronation Street star of yesteryear, Hilda Ogden, with her signature look of rollers under a headscarf. The bag itself is made from grey jersey material. If Hilda isn’t glamorous enough for you, there is a similar bag called Babs, which has Barbara Windsor in that memorable pose having lost her bikini top. Her shorts and hair bow are highlighted in neon pink.

Both bags cost £10 and can be bought online from the Topshop website.

Ok, it's not exactly re-inventing the wheel, but if you want an everyday or weekend bag with some retro style, you might want to check out the Adidas Adicolor vintage airline bag.

It's a slight reworking of the classic flight bag, with a large compartment for your weekend essentials, an additional zipped pocket, adjustable strap and all that classic Adidas detailing.

Three original colours to choose from, all selling for £39.

Find out more at the End Clothing website

Original Little Bird is a Norwich based company, who as well as producing their own fabric design, make lovely bags from vintage fabrics. While this isn't an innovative concept in itself, the bags are well finished with a taffeta lining and have a simple zip fastening so manage to avoid looking too cutesy. Their greatest strength is the fabrics used which date from the 1950s and 1960s and are all bold and striking.