Hooked on Handbags by Capitaine Crochet

On my recent social media travels, I 'bumped' into a vintage-loving kindred spirit, by the name of Mariana, who is proprietress of a company called Capitaine Crochet®, through which Mariana sells her 30s and 40s-repro. hand-crocheted handbags. Here's a little bio and item sampler post (some of the purses below have been sold already, but others are available in her Etsy shop....and stay tuned! She and I have a giveaway in the works that we will be announcing very soon!

"I've been a vintage enthusiast for around 15 years. But it wasn't until about 5 or 6 years ago that I realised I had more of a retro/vintage inspired--rather than original--vintage look, which was actually what I aimed for. So by then I started looking for authentic pieces and investigating the 30s and 40s decades more to be more accurate.

Now, if you're in Portugal, you won't find anything older than late 60s and you have to order everything from abroad, which is very expensive, and many times I just couldn't afford it.

I came across these old photos of crocheted handbags, with gorgeous ladies looking so elegant, and I thought I might have a go at making such things! I wanted a bag that I could use everyday and not be so worried it might wear out, and where I could fit all my stuff in, without looking "modern." I figured if I had this concern, maybe others might too, so I started Capitaine Crochet® a few years after I started on this vintage crochet thing (I had learnt the basics from my mother when I was a kid). I had to learn how to read the patterns, and I'm still always looking for the right materials to work with. Basically, I learn by trial and error, and this means doing and undoing the same piece many times until I'm happy with it."

Mariana is a graphic designer by profession, and vocalist in the band, The Soaked Lamb.