HANDBAG

This superbly designed leather handbag could be worn with matching gloves and a hat to create a coordinated look. Handbags were not subject to rationing during the 1940s but due to shortages of materials they became increasingly expensive as the Second World War progressed. Leather handbags were especially affected and the price of a calfskin bag sold at the London department store Marshall & Snelgrove rose from £2 in 1938 to £7 in 1945.