Love at First Sight: Liz Saintsing Accessories {Updated!}

I stopped by Singapore bag boutique Quintessential yesterday and fell in love. The object of my affection: San Francisco-based artist Liz Saintsing's amazing retro recreations—she calls it "vintage untamed"—which are fantastic vintage bags and accessories covered with bold, hand-screened graphics.



I've seen some other screen-printed vintages pieces, and I always love the effect of that extra little touch (among the most memorable are ones from Shara Porter, who silkscreens quirky little objects—a tiny screwdriver, a little farm animal—onto small vintage bags. I've lusted after her pieces in Cog & Pearl in Park Slope for quite awhile.) Saintsing's designs offer a different, bolder alternative—and I think the results are really amazing. Quintessential was stocking a fantastic old hatbox suitcase and a baby blue cummerbund, each screen-printed with big, bright crayfish. Both were instantly covetable.


I've got a plain, beige-colored hatbox suitcase myself, found years ago in a Park Slope thrift store (I believe the purchase was inspired by a piece of Carrie's luggage on her cross-country train trip). It's just part of our guest room décor as, sadly, it's highly impractical for actual traveling. Still, I'd love to think of something interesting to do to it to make it stand out a little more.

Liz Saintsing's stockists—unfortunately, there are only a few—are listed here.

{Update} Seth from Cog & Pearl just e-mailed me to say the designer they feature is Shara Porter (not Shana, as I'd mistakenly jotted down). And she has a website! And if you click on the little circle on her website, you can scroll through all her fantastic bags. Warning: May cause extreme coveting.