Also beaded bags were in vogue. Designers of the 1940s and 1950s embellished the 1800s’ tradition with modern innovations of plastic and wooden beads. The oversized beads were named ‘caviar beads.’ Bags with hand-tools designs became the rage. Colorful designs relied heavily on Spanish, Mexican, and South American motifs such as tropical flowers, smiling seňoritas, Aztec temples, etc. In 1948, Life magazine ran a pictorial on handbags that “once were actually strawberry boxes, egg crates, and cheese boxes.” Bamboo, wicker, and straw bags were very popular. Plastic was the miracle material of World War II, and purse-makers made the most of it. Among the most popular of the plastic purses were the ones decorated with “phone cord” arranged in