Hobo Bags Past and Present
Some fashion editors relentlessly try to make them go away, but many normal folks seem to agree that slouchy purses have a timeless quality that keeps them popular season after season, year after year. This blog proposes that they have such a popularity because of their ability to work easily with casual attire like blue jeans, another clothing style that may never go away. Blue jeans have an interesting story in their own right, but here the topic is slouchy purses and some of their history.
Retailers advertised hobo bags as early as 1936, but without a picture, we are left to wonder what this ad really offers.
This advertisement from 1938 shows a woman using a kerchief as a purse. Note the use of the term “hobo bag” in the ad copy.
Hobo Bags make another appearance in 1943.
Nice setting in what appears to be the woods, but really is as urban as it gets in Los Angeles, California. Note that Gucci still markets hobo style bags in the lower middle square.