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Threads of
history
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Time capsule

November 7th, 1965 Norwich.

Like a moment frozen in time, we found this handbag.

Well used but still in great condition, this Freedex Model handbag would have completed any outfit for the modern woman. Inside, a pair of nylon Kir Gloves with a brushed interior to keep size 7 ½ hands warm on a cold winter day.

We imagine her queueing up outside Peter Robinson's department store, feeling slightly excited to enter the glamorous department store by Hay Hill Norwich.
She checks to ensure that her Barclay card was still inside the bag. It was.
The doors swing open, manned by two smartly dressed men and she smiles as she enters the brightly lit open space.
She stops for a moment to take it all in. The murmur of staff and customers, the patterns on the dresses further in, the smells of perfumes and makeup.
She looks around and imagines buying things – like a form of window shopping, but inside. Makeup, a smart-looking coat, a beautiful necklace…
She looks up. Someone is saying something and she realises it is her the beautiful woman is talking to.
- “Would you like to try our latest perfume? It’s Lancôme’.”
Lancôme’ Magie, she reads on the bottle held forward by the lady.
- “How peculiar.” She says and continues, “That's my name”
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What do you think Ms M.A bought that day at Peter Robinson?
Found in the handbag is a receipt for 1.10, alongside a small sample of the perfume Magie, a Barclay card that expired in 1966 and the beautiful nylon gloves.

What is the oldest item in your own wardrobe?

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