New 'Flower Power' Totes Suit Silhouettes

The following was taken from an unknown newspaper source. Wednesday, January 24, 1968.

Accessories are essential to the complete costume look in today's fashion world. So for spring of '68 talented Enid Collins, whom San Antonio can almost call its own, designed a varied collection of smart new handbaggery from mini to maxi in size to suit the many silhouettes of the new season.

Collins of Texas' spring carriers are called "flower power," and Mrs. Collins brought the new spring collection to Joske's of Texas for a showing Monday and Tuesday of this week.

Lavish and lovely, intense in jeweling, they are outrageously fragile and feminine looking, but on the other side of the coin, Colins of Texas designs bags totally prepared for a tough life.

Neither too big nor too small, but well proportioned, the classic totes are treated to a new newsy look of imported Belgian linen. Then there's the scaled down version of the tote called the mini tote. In both, pale jewels design an elegant handbag for all-day carrying.

In the "flower power" group, the designer has apropos tags for each: "Jewel garden," "les Fleurs," "sea garden," "flower basket," "early bird," "glitter bug II," "bright owl," "black bird," etc. All are original designs "that simply sugest themselves" to the designer.

Shiny is the word that says smartness as it combines with white linen. Black patent-leather has also been partnered with natural and oatmeal linen, destined for daytime costume.

But for after-five there's the petite mini box with vinyl handles and floral jewel motifs gussied up to go beautifully to cocktail parties or after-dark affairs.

Enid Collins who designs the four season collections presented annually previewed her summer line by saying that it would feature animals.

Her now famous totes evolved from the early hand-stitched bags that launched Collins of Texas on an international scale. The wooden nifties are now being made in Medina, Tex., while the totes are divided between that city and the city of Fujardo in Puerto Rico.

The Texas-based corporation is headed by Frederic Collins as president, "Tex" Anderson, vice president, and Mrs. Collins, secretary.