1980s ESCADA RED LEATHER GOLD HEART DRAWSTRING SHOULDER BAG

This small Escada bag dates from the 1980s. It is made in red leather with a drawstring closure, carried on the shoulder, and decorated with gold-tone metal hearts around the base. Inside, it is lined in black leather with zipped pockets. It was made in Italy.

Escada was founded in Munich in 1976 by Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley and named after an Irish racehorse. The label expanded rapidly through the 1980s, entering the US market in 1982, with Margaretha Ley as chief designer and a style built on strong colour, pattern and decoration.

The drawstring pouch is one of the oldest bag forms, and it returned in many versions in the second half of the twentieth century. In the 1980s small leather shoulder bags with decorative hardware were a common accessory.

The red leather gives the bag its strong colour, while the gold-tone hearts form a decorative border at the base. The black leather lining and zipped pockets make the interior practical.

Small vintage leather bags with decorative hardware remain easy to carry. An Italian-made Escada piece combines that practicality with the label's 1980s taste for colour.