Glossary, or Glomesh 101

When I began collecting vintage Glomesh purses and accessories, I was thrust into the world of vintage terminology, double-speak and jargon.

I slowly worked my way through it, but thought it might be helpful to include a list of some of the terms commonly used for those new to the world of vintage mesh bags.

I’ve created this glossary with specific relevance to vintage Glomesh. Hey, I’ve even made up a few terms of my own to describe the pieces in my collection.

Let me know if there’s something you’d like me to add or explain. I can be reached at silverglomesh@gmail.com.

 

(In alphabetical order:)*

COCKY G

Glomesh bags were shiny, but they were subtle. There was no obvious marking of the branding anywhere on the bag. But as time went on, as Glomesh’s market share grew, and as imposters and copies began flooding the market, Glomesh got cocky. It wanted to stand out. It had to stand out. It began marking the lining of its bags with giant ‘G’ letters. The letter G began appearing on the outside on the frame of the bag. In some cases, the entire GLOMESH name was printed on enamel-covered frames! I call this G the ‘cocky G’. Glomesh got cocky. It got loud. Towards the end, it became uncool. It went out of existence in the early 80s. My skin still crawls a bit when I see cocky Gs all over some of its later vintage bags.

CRYSTALS

The early Glomesh pieces incorporated jewels in the form of clear crystals in the clasp. I imagine this was largely quite an expensive and/or fiddly process. These crystals were later dropped in favour of solid metal instead. Purses/bags with both crystals present in the clasp are highly prized.

DIAMOND-HINGE

This was a unique opening incorporated on some of the early Glomesh bags. When you squeezed the frame of the bag inwards, it opened into a diamond or rectangular shape. Very chic! I am in awe each time I open one. I have two such pieces and they are the favourites of my entire collection.

‘GLOMESH’ vs other mesh

Glomesh is a brand name. It is owned by the Australian company Glo International. Again, GLOMESH is a BRAND. I spend inordinate amounts of time arguing with sellers online about whether their advertised ‘Glomesh’ is in fact Glomesh, or some other cheap crap. Trust me, there is plenty of the rubbish stuff around. A lot of the cheaper mesh style bags at the time were made in Hong Kong (see ‘Made in Australia’ below). This is why so many collectors (including myself) demand to see the Glomesh tag inside a bag before purchasing. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you can be easily misled into buying non-genuine Glomesh. I tend not to buy if there’s no tag, even though my experienced eye can usually tell a fake from the real thing.

Then again, it could simply be another quality mesh bag, just not Glomesh. Other brands include America’s version of Glomesh, the iconic Whiting & Davis; Glomesh’s predecessor Park Lane; the popular West-Germany made Oroton; the Australian made House of Mesh; and the budget-friendly Gold Crest. (I collect only Glomesh, with the exception of a Whiting & Davis purse I can’t bring myself to part with.)

In late 2013, the grandson of the original Glomesh founders decided there was enough interest and love in the Glomesh name that he decided to kick the old machinery back into gear and once again pump out the shiny mesh bags. They are all now MADE IN CHINA, and in my opinion, lack the class and style of the originals. The sell from $345 up. I have no desire to ever purchase any such bag.

MADE IN AUSTRALIA

All genuine vintage Glomesh is made in Australia, specifically, Sydney in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. If you open a mesh-style bag with a tag saying it is made in Hong Kong, this is not genuine Glomesh. It is cheap aluminium crap. (See ‘Glomesh’ definition.)

I love that we used to make these beautiful creations here in my home city of Sydney. We don’t manufacture very much at all here anymore. It’s a reminder we were once bloody great.

I hope to preserve this stunning piece of our history by collecting and cataloguing beautiful pieces.

LINING

This refers to the inside of a Glomesh purse, handbag or wallet. Depending on the item, it could be made of satin, or a heavy-duty polyester or cotton. The colours of the lining varied over time (silver, grey, orange) however, Glomesh is perhaps best known for its orange lining. The bags produced towards the end of Glomesh’s life featured a cocky G printed on the lining. (See ‘cocky G’ above.)

MESH

The slinky, cool, shimmery mesh is the name of the outer material of Glomesh bags, purses, and accessories.

MESH LINING

There’s lining and there’s mesh lining (inner lining). When you open a Glomesh bag, you see the lining. However, there is another lining that you can’t see. This lining sits between the bag lining and the mesh. I call it the ‘mesh lining’ or ‘inner lining’. The problem with the mesh lining is that it deteriorates, in most cases, quite badly. It leaves a fine yellow or grey dust that can be difficult to get rid of. You can shake the bag out as much as you like, but there seems to be stubborn leftovers that you just can’t get rid of. If it gets on your hands, wash it off immediately, otherwise you’ll itch badly. Dust mites, maybe?

Many of the older bags have entirely destroyed mesh linings, so much so that the silver mesh on the outside sits awkwardly on the frame of the bag. If you open a Glomesh bag and it feels ‘dusty’, you can be sure the mesh lining has died.

RATS TAIL STRAP

Aside from the quality mesh, the other signature item that defines a Glomesh bag is its ‘rat tail’ strap. This thick, flexible, metal strap adorned all of the early Glomesh bags, with other straps introduced later.

TARNISHING

This is an obvious deterioration of either the frame or mesh. On the frame it shows up as a dark brown, sometimes giving the effect of being ‘burnt’. Mesh tarnishing can be mild (almost unnoticeable) through to a very heavy and pronounced darkening. I’ve searched the net high and long to find a way to get rid of tarnishing, or at least reduce the appearance of it, but no luck. Most tarnishing solutions require you to ‘dip’ the item into a tub of liquid. No thanks.

TILES

This refers to each individual piece of mesh. You’ll often see phrases such as ‘no missing tiles’ in vintage Glomesh ads, which simply means none of the little square pieces of mesh are missing.

*This page is constantly being updated.

Please contact me at silverglomesh@gmail.com if you’d like to ask a question.