It feels like just yesterday that I mentioned a novelty bag and noted that they often work best once they are vintage...well, it was actually 1 week ago to be exact.
And, while I admire designers who can mine the depths of handbag history, and create something new from the old, some styles were just meant to stay put in the archives.
The Betseyville by Betsey Johnson Call Me Betsey Satchel looks remarkably like the easy to find vintage Telephone Bag I wrote about back in April 2006. This redux version looks like a child's toy, maybe a Barbie Doll case (it even comes in Barbie ready shades of pink, lavender or teal). It doesn't help that the dial is just an applique, and the bag is small, about the size of an older telephone. Part of what made the original so darling was that it actually worked...in the days before cell phones, carrying your phone had some surprise value.
I do think that it could make a cute gift for a younger girl, which is who the Betseyville line is, I believe, ultimately intended for. At $65, it's also reasonably priced for that market.
Now, suppose you do have a thing for the telephone inspired, but don't want to be that obvious...
While I have no way of knowing what the actual inspiration behind it was, it seemed kind of a funny coincidence that this Betsey Johnson bag, the Golden Goddess Shoulder Tote immediately brought to mind that 1970's icon of wired communication, the Sculptura Donut Phone (the rotary version).
The Goddess Tote is also priced a bit more for the adult wallet, at $395. Maybe go for a mother/daughter telephone look and get one of each. Both the Betseyville Call Me Betsey Satchel and the Golden Goddess Shoulder Tote are available from Nordstrom.
The Sculptura phone, in the push button style can be had for $60-$80 from vintage purveyor Do Wah Diddy. (you can also try your luck on eBay, but they seemed more expensive).
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