Women have always understood the value of the perfect accessory, and the hard plastic handbags popularized in the 1940's and 50's have stood the test of time for making a chick look her best. In the 50's, newsstands around the country featured a fresh issue of Handbag and Accessory Magazine every week, and plastic and acrylic handbags were garnering a good deal of attention. When DuPont coined the trade name "Lucite", the trend soared and Lucite bags were all the rage.

Available in a wealth of colors and styles, '50's Lucite bags were both unique and a whole lot of fun -- qualities that carry the same meaning today as we zoom from the rocket age into the fashion unknowns of the twenty-first century. From metal basketweave features to filigree fasteners on outrageous colors to the clear plastic model (in which a girl can hide her personal things with a scarf -- one to match every outfit!), Lucite handbags are the ultimate in novel fashion statements. But style alone cannot account for the bags' popularity -- their notoriety is also derived from quality construction and design: each bag is strong, although lightweight, and large enough to hold all of the crucial feminine accoutre ments. Not only that, but these quality handbags are handmade by skilled craftsmen with a precision that's difficult to find with the advent of modern mass production. Known as carry-alls or vanities (many of the bags come with built-in make-up mirrors), these handmade treasures are equipped with ultra-cool extras like a built-in compact, comb, and cigarette case. Everything a girl might need!

But why would something so seemingly ideal ever fall from the hippest levels of what is considered vogue? There are a number of reasons. The top designers of the day (notably Will Hardy and Charles S. Kahn) were constantly trying to out-do each other by implementing more and more extreme features onto each handbag: Rhinestone detailing was at a premium for the glamorous, and Wilardy embarked on a series of glow-in-the-dark bags that allowed women to see into their purses in the darkness of the theater. The result? Lucite bags were getting more and more bizarre, and consequently, more and more expensive to make.

It eventually dawned on some marketing genius (as usual) that the best way to satisfy the increasing needs of this broadening market would be to begin making the bags by machine. The newly devised technology known as injection molding was ideal for working with cheap plastics, and for creating a product that from afar looked very much like an original handmade plastic bag. Naturally, the cheapos lacked the detail and the supreme craftsmanship of the genuine articles, and women who were paying sixty bucks for a handbag at Saks didn't want to see someone walking around with a five dollar knock-off. The style died off, just like that. But those of us who are on top of the gone-but-not-forgotten elements of style and quality know a good thing when we see one. Dazzling Lucite handbags are hard to miss!

Janice Berkson's Soho boutique, Deco Jewels, specializes in exquisite accessories and authentic costume jewelry from the 20's to the 60's. It also is a showcase for the spectacular vintage Lucite handbags of the '40's and '50's. Berkson tracks down the bags from the far-reaches of the world, buying from individuals, auction houses, and the private collections of some of the most prestigious designers of the bags themselves. A retailer and collector for twelve years, she is the foremost authority on Lucite handbags, their history and their magic. I recently spent an afternoon mesmerized by her marvelous collection as she filled me in on what makes plastic handbags so special -- "These bags are sculptures. I'd love to say that with the re-vamping of retro styles I've been getting a whole new wave of customers. Not yet. I generally just get people who are looking for something unique. I think the fact that [the bags] are from the 50's makes people lose their minds over them because they can't get over how they look so new and so clean. Anybody who likes things that look different and that stand out are going to like these bags because they're special. They make you happy."

Berkson recognizes that with the revival of retro styles, some companies are making inexpensive modern versions of the hard plastic handbags. Her reaction makes perfect sense: "Who wants a new plastic handbag? Who wants to go into a store and buy one when anyone in the world can walk in five minutes later and buy the same one? The chances of you buying [a vintage bag] and going to an affair and having someone else walk in with the same bag are about a million to one. They're just so unique and rare." Sounds like good odds for originality to me.

So if you aren't breaking down the door of Deco Jewels to get your hands on some Lucite lovelies, who is?" I've got all different types of clients. I've got people who remember the bags from back in the 50's, and those who've never seen them before. Some are women who have lots of money and I have customers who don't have lots of money."

Collectors are generally younger, but both men and women seek out the sculptures. Sam Silber, 55, has been collecting Lucite bags for about a decade, and he rarely buys more than one bag a year. For Silber, the thrill of collecting is in the hunt. He seeks out only the most uniquely shaped amber and tortoise-shell colored bags for his home display, which he tracks down at flea markets worldwide. Silber is particularly drawn to art deco inspired shapes, but a recent find -- a bag made with Lucite and alligator skin -- sparked his interest in unusual material combinations. "Patience is a virtue in collecting," remarks Silber. "I have to absolutely love (a piece) and know that it's one of a kind." Like many collectors, he is clearly attracted to the art of the bags.

Bob Gottlieb, author of A Certain Style (out of print), a plastic handbag primer that started the collecting craze back in '88, has an enormous collection of Lucite bags. His wife isn't too wild about them, but Bob loves the way they look and, like Silber, he displays them as works of art in his home. Though Gottlieb believes a display case is the safest place for these beauties, Berkson feels that she has re-introduced the idea of carrying them again. She admits that "there are some bags that you might want to just put on a shelf and admire, but (usually) they're just too much fun to leave on a table at home! That's what attracts people to them ­ they're sculptures you can carry with you everyday if you want to. My real feeling is that you should buy something you love and feel good carrying." She doesn't believe in snap judgment purchasing either: "I will never let somebody buy something that they don't absolutely love. These bags will last forever, and I want people to leave here HAPPY. I don't want people to buy something in five minutes. I want them to hold the bag... they all hold differently and feel differently. I want you to hold a bag and not want to let it go. That's what it's all about. They're just so special. I have so many of them that you won't walk out of here without something you absolutely love."

By now you're probably convinced of how spectacular Lucite handbags can look, but you might be wondering about how much they'll set you back. A little history: the bags were all hand-made and assembled in the 40's and 50's, and they were expensive back then. Lucite bags used to retail between $20 and $70, but keep in mind, kids, that rent on a New York City pad averaged about 50 bucks a month during that time. So people were shelling out a week's pay on these babies, and they were frequently considered to be a lady's "good bag". This partially explains why so many were kept in such pristine condition and continue to look great 45+ years later. Thus, with the complicated cocktail of time decay, popularity, and good old American inflation, the bags really aren't painfully expensive by any means. The 140+ bags displayed at Deco Jewels run from about $100 up to (at the current moment) $900. In comparison to the price tags at your local Coach or Prada outlet, Lucite handbags are not only infinitely hipper, but they're that much more of a steal as well. When you think about the fact that they've been around for 45 years and with a little care could easily be around for another 45... who wants to shell out $1500 on some designer leather something-or-other that's going to wear out on the sides? Not me, that much is certain. "Once you buy one of these bags and use it," says Berkson, "you're not going to want anything else. I can always find something that will make you happy, whatever your price range. If someone comes in and they want to spend less than $100, I can find something for them. Nothing goes on display here that's less than perfect, but [on her four overflowing bookcases of back-stock] there's something for everybody here."

Berkson's love of Lucite is contagious, and her expertise is obvious. Her Manhattan apartment (coincidentally the former headquarters of Handbag and Accessory Magazine) is overflowing with research material for her upcoming book on plastic handbags. "They're happy bags. That's why I love them. That's why everybody loves them." It's just that simple.

{While waiting for Janice Berkson's book to be published, take a look at Plastic Handbags: Sculpture To Wear by Kate Dooner. It's a great way to see what's out there. There's a great variety of handbags with photos and detailed descriptions. Better yet, stop into Deco Jewels (131 Thompson Street, NYC, NY 10012; 212/253-1222) and see how great you'll look with a Lucite bag on your arm.}