This is a compact made by Stratton of England and dates back to the mid 1960’s to early 1970’s. The size and inner lid design helps to identify this Stratton compact and i’m 90% certain it's one of the more popular convertibles, designed to take solid as well as loose powder. Although the measurements are very slightly out so please correct me if i’m wrong.
The inner lid is designed to hold the powder in place, and this one came complete with the sifter. A puff would then be used to prevent the powder from spilling.
I was attracted by the delicate rose design and the fact that it also came with a matching lipstick holder - which I thought was very chic. The social history of these items fascinates me; I imagine being the person receiving this as a gift back then and thinking about what it meant to them. If you’re looking at starting a collection, I would recommend starting off with the compacts that you really like the look of before researching into rarities or focusing on a particular brand or period.
I’ve decided not to collect the lipstick holders although they’re kinda cute, and even include the type of lipstick on the base. However I do like the matching sets and think these would be an asset to any collection.
After buying this compact, I realised I wanted to research and discover more designs. I found myself on Ebay more often than not and before I knew it, I was collecting.
Stratton of England are one of the biggest manufacturers of ladies compacts and because my first buy was a Stratton, I have decided to focus my collection on these for the time being.
I am still a beginner though and I may choose to expand into other manufacturers such as Kigu further down the line. You can find a fantastic website here: http://www.vintage-compacts.com providing extensive knowledge on the Kigu designs. I however, like a challenge and will be sharing the research I find on Stratton which, although a huge manufacturer, seem to have little information accessible online!
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