Looking to America brought the fashion world of the 1950s not just denim jeans and nylon stockings, but also the first plastic handbags. Along with bags of transparent PVC, these also included the so-called “Florida” handbags of colored hard acrylic, which are today so desired by collectors. Produced by the major American design houses, these hard-walled, case-like bags came onto the market every year in new forms and colors. Together with one-color and marble-effect surfaces, shiny pearlised effects enjoyed great popularity. (text from Treasures of German art and history)