I bought a leather purse that I absolutely love.  It is the first
novel design I have seen in decades, since the advent of the magnetic
clasp, that really is an advance, an improvement, a brilliant idea
well executed, as effective in practice as it is appealing in concept.
I would like to be able to equip myself with a succession of purses of
this one design for the rest of my life.  I would like to have it in
three colors right now.  I mean, it is a *keeper.*  I've bought a lot
of purses in my time, and I have never before felt, "This is it." 
This is just like what they say about true love:  "When it's right,
you'll know it."  I am in earnest here.  Is my conviction coming
across?

Now.  Here's the thing.  I got this at Mervyn's, having decided some
time back that top-of-the-line merchandise at a midrange store can
often be better than middle or low end at a top-tier store.  I think
this is an excellent example of the point.  When I bought it, there
were only two or three on the shelf, and only in black, in this
particular design.  There was no other offering that was anything like
this, nor have I ever seen its like before anywhere.  It was unique. 
What shall I do to keep this purse in my life?  How can I find it in
other colors--tan, brown, ivory, red?  How can I replace it when it
wears out at last?

At least I was smart enough to buy two, one to put away.  But they're
both black.

I went to Mervyn's website and entered a query about the item,
supplying all the data from the tag.  My question:  who made this, and
where can I find or order this same item in other colors?  The answer
I got follows:

===========
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.  Unfortunately, we no
longer carry the Hillard & Hanson bag you are looking for.

The item that you are looking for was a seasonal product in our
stores. This means that we only carried it for that particular season.
At the end of the season, seasonal products are marked down on
clearance to make room for the next season's products. I apologize for
any inconvenience this may cause you.
        
We value your business and hope you will continue to shop at Mervyn's.
 Please visit us again at www.mervyns.com.

Sincerely, 
Irene
mervyns.com Guest Relations
===========

Would a resourceful GA researcher accept the challenge of trying to
find out for me who actually made this purse, or was responsible for
its ("Made in China") manufacture, whether it is available and where,
and how I can find or order it?  Here is all the item information I
have:

Hillard & Hanson
Dept 949
Style 10-1209
Color Black
Class 65
$50.00

I purchased it at Mervyn's in Santa Clara, California, on May 17.

I wish I could supply a drawing or a link to a photo, but I'll just
have to try to describe it.  The purse is a medium-size black leather
sling-style handbag, fabric-lined.  It has two zip pockets on the
outside and one on the inside.  One very nice quality is the fact that
it is one of those rare bags that look pretty compact from the outside
but are really very roomy within.  So far, nice, but nothing
extraordinary.  You might not look twice.

But wait!  What makes this handbag unique, beautiful, special,
stunning, and adorable enough to fall in love with for life is the
strap.  The standard sling-style purse has an ordinary strap that
attaches on each side at a tapered point just above the two ends of
the zipper.  *This* strap attaches at one and and, at the other,
passes through a metal loop and down the back of the bag to fasten in
a buckle at the base of the bag.  Said another way, the length of the
strap comes up from the base and through a hoop at the top.  From the
hoop to the other side of the bag it is like an ordinary shoulder
strap.  The sling bag zipper can be open or closed beneath it.  BUT if
you pull the slack of the strap through the hoop--so the slack is not
across the opening but across the back of the bag--it's just like one
of those one-shoulder backpack-style bags.  The two points where the
zipper ends are situated come together, and the material in between
tucks itself in like the folds of a pop-up greeting card.  And--here's
the best part, I can hardly stand the thrill of telling you this, and
I would use italics and boldface if I could--this has the effect of
closing the bag without the zipper's being closed, so it can be open
and closed at the same time!!  It is decently shut, easy to carry and
reasonably secure, and yet I can reach inside in a sec with ease and
extract cell phone, wallet, glasses, whatever--no zipper fumbling, no
fastener struggle, and yet also no contents spilling out, no exposed
belongings, no problem when I brake suddenly and my purse on the
passenger seat does a double-roll to the floor.  What could possibly
be more perfect, at least for me?  I have to admit that I am the kind
of person who, when asked if she wants the ice cream or the quarter,
has always asked, "Is it necessary to choose one?  Can't I have both?"
(Lots of times you can!  Many supposedly forced choices are just
rhetoric.  I always ask.)

If looking for information about this specific item is a dead end, I
would reward a search for a purse of the same design, the key feature
being the strap, but would like to invite a request for clarification
if someone wants to undertake that.  It might be difficult without a
picture and would certainly take a lot of looking.  I have already
tried and given up.

Thank you,
Apteryx

---

Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 08 Jun 2003 19:24 PDT

I have read your description over and over, and still cannot figure
out the design. Do any of these slingbags look like the one you had?
Is it truly a slingbag or more of a backpack-style bag? Or something
else entirely.

http://www1.ebags.com/index.cfm?sub_site_ID=14&sourceid=SEOmt403
(Can you look at the purse categories on the left and pick out a
"type" that is similar?)

http://www.leather-purse.com/slinotbag.html

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?cid=17436&PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=29946&fp=F&siteID=bVeaszezF7E-KZ1AoZ2aYI.BMVWKAxyzxQ#

http://www.shopallenbeys.com/leather-backpacks-organizers-totes.html

http://www.flightstation.com/shop/product_catalog.asp?jump=Y&cat=Handbags

http://www.northtexas.com/x5/leather/f1w.htm

umiat

---

Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 08 Jun 2003 20:36 PDT

Oooh--umiat, one of them is close, the one at Overstock.com.  I just
can't tell from the angles shown whether it has the unique design
characteristic I'm looking for or not:  specifically, if the strap can
be pulled through that metal loop you can see from the end angle, in
effect pulling the bag shut like a drawstring while the zipper is
still open.  What I'd love to find is one with the quality of some of
the other handbags you picked out--you've located some beautiful bags,
all right--but with this design.

I'm sorry my description isn't better.  I could spend a thousand words
and still not equal a picture.  I don't know what to say except that I
think you're on the right track.  But this could be a wild goose chase
. . .

Apteryx

---

Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 08 Jun 2003 23:44 PDT

apteryx,

 Would you ever consider a custom-made bag?

 I know they are a bit pricey, but a purse will last for years. And if
you have found the perfect design, why not have it copied and made to
your liking? I think you could easily call this designer, describe
your last purse and send a picture to have a new purse tailored to
your liking.

Have a look at this sling bag, plus some of this designer's other
purses.
http://www.em-are-leather.com/backpacks/slingbag2/slingbag2.html

"Don't see exactly what you are looking for? I can possibly custom
make it for you. Everything is handcrafted by myself, of deerskin...oh
sooo soft, yet durable and WASHABLE. Not all buckskin is washable, but
the way this has been tanned makes it washable. I have worked with
deerskin for nine years and attended dozens of craft shows in the
area, accumulating many awards.  There are five colors available and
all items can be made in any color or color combination."

Contact info:
http://www.em-are-leather.com/contactme/contactme.html 


==

Here is one other interesting design you might consider:
http://www.centuryleathergifts.com/43766-h820.html

Close-up:
http://store6.yimg.com/I/briefcasesandmore_1743_3516184 

The zipper runs along the top, but it does have a "foldable" quality
to it, and it looks like you could leave the zipper open if you could
sling it across your shoulder.

==


Another suggestion - though not leather!
http://www.bagglady.com/SlingPack_straps.html

==

If any of these ideas are suitable, or getting closer, let me know.

umiat

---

Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 09 Jun 2003 22:58 PDT

Umiat, you sure are doing a great search!  I do so want you to score a
hit.  You see, I really think it unlikely that some unknown pursemaker
somewhere in China came up with this fabulous, original design only to
have it bloom and fade as a seasonal item at Mervyn's and then be seen
no more.  In my mind it is much more likely that this item imitates a
design by someone who has a name and a product line that we are
capable of finding.

This one

http://store6.yimg.com/I/briefcasesandmore_1743_3516184
 
is *definitely* getting closer--it has the strap-and-loop feature that
I was trying so hard to describe.  Now just picture the effect if you
pull all the slack up through the metal ring:  that's what changes it
into a conventional purse shape, provided the cut and the zipper
possition permit it.

I just can't tell from this photo what the opening is like and how the
placement of the zipper relates to the handle or whether the unzipped
edges tuck in as if to close while remaining open.  But if the
inferred but unseen zipper were to go from where the ring is to where
the other attachment point of the strap is (here, the top of the front
panel), that would be it.  Other features like compartments and so on
don't matter as much as that characteristic.

The description "Converts From Handbag To Backpack" is promising, too,
although I am not especially interested in that split-strap device,
which I have seen on many bags and which is not what makes this one
special.  (In fact, I wouldn't buy this bag with that feature because
it weakens the strap, spoils the look of it, and does not really work
for me the way it would on a skinny 19-year-old.)

Getting warm, though, umiat, very warm!

Apteryx

---

Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 12 Jun 2003 11:33 PDT

Those pictures help A LOT! I had an idea what you meant, but I can see
that the bottom buckle is quite unique.
 I will still look around, but encourage other researchers to give it
a try, also. I still don't rule out having a custom purse made...even
though they are more costly. The custom sites I referred to above
could easily transform the strap into a buckled purse "cincher."
 What I want to know ..........is that sweet little monkey for sale?

---

Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 12 Jun 2003 12:17 PDT

Hi Apteryx,

I located aladies leather sling bag which is similar to the one you're
looking for.

They carry navy, offwhite, burgundy, green, brown and black.

You can view the bag at different angles by placing your mouse on the
small pictures.

Price: $29.99
 
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=29946

What do you think of this bag?

Thanks,

Bobbie7

---

Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 12 Jun 2003 20:40 PDT

Hi, Bobbie7--wow, this question is turning out to be a who's who of
ace GA researchers!  How nice that so many are taking a perceptive
interest in the persistent pursuit of my personal purse.  I am really
imperssed.

This is a good find, Bobbie7, and I sure love the choice of colors. 
Mmm.  One of umiat's links actually took me to this same page.  The
style certainly appears at first to be close to the mark.  But I
looked closely and carefully and I could not see if it opened out into
the style you see in my Purse3 photo, which is the two-in-one aspect
of it.  If I were looking just for the pear-shaped bag with the
shoulder strap, I would have a lot of choices, including right in my
own closet.  I'm after one that swings both ways, which is the feature
that lets it be open while closed.  Also, as I mentioned, I am not
interested in the zip-split strap.

I haven't said anything yet about price range, but since I want
something that's long-lasting, I'd probably expect to pay more than
$29.99.  I'd think somewhere in the $100-$175 range would be about
right.  I am considering umiat's suggestion of having a bag
custom-made--but the conviction remains that this handbag must be out
there already, an original design from which my Mervyn's purse is
probably a knockoff.  Too bad we can't yet search on images.

Umiat, the bottom buckle is cute but actually unimportant.  It's the
way the handle slides through the top metal ring to close the bag like
a drawstring that matters.  Extended (Purse3), it's just a pouchy-type
shoulder bag; pulled through, it snugs it up into a sling bag into
which I or my fuzzy little helper can still reach a paw.  Sorry, he is
neither for sale nor for loan or gift!  When I found him, it was love
at first sight, and he stays with me as a wise guardian presence.  But
I am sure he has lookalike kin somewhere out there in the world.  You
could post a question . . .

Let's keep looking--
Apteryx

---

Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 12 Jun 2003 22:30 PDT

Apteryx,

Here's another bag, although I can't tell if it opens into the style
you want.

Sling Bag
In black or chocolate. 
Price: $195.00
http://www.capecodshops.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/15091/store-id/1000004536.html

--Bobbie7

---

Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 14 Jun 2003 00:07 PDT

I don't think it does, Bobbie7, though I do thank you.  This looks
like the standard single-concept stuffed-turkey design.  I'd like to
find one of this apparent quality, though.

You know, I thought this search might be impossible, but I sure didn't
think it would be so hard.  Do you think we should give up?

Apteryx

---

Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 14 Jun 2003 08:32 PDT

apteryx,

 You asked if you think we should give up. At this point, I would
suggest going with a custom-made bag or ordering the model you have
seen that might be closest to your original bag. You can always call
before ordering and ask if they will let you return it if it turns out
to be unlike what you want.

 If it were me, and I KNEW I had found the purse design I loved, I
would have it custom-made. I have had only two purses in my life that
were perfect. After the first one "died" I found a similar, extremely
cheap $10 replica that I have used for almost 3 years!!! You can tell
I am not a fashion maven, but I do seek out and  stay with what works
for me.

 I fully understand why you are trying so hard to find this purse.
However, I think the searching could go on and on. If you call a
custom purse maker, you can send the photos and have it made in a
jiffy....with the color and type of leather you like! Just my
thoughts!

umiat

---

Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 14 Jun 2003 16:37 PDT

Well, umiat, I think you're probably right.  I decided that $29.99
wasn't a lot to risk, even if I don't want the zip-split strap, just
to see if it's good otherwise.  Having found the right style online
once, I should find it easier to locate twice.  And the investment is
modest enough so that I could afford to hand this bag over to a custom
leatherworker as a model--maybe the one whose URL you gave me.  So I
think we've gone about as far as we can go.

For all the work you've done, I'd like you to take the credit for
answering this one.  But we sure had a lot of helpers!  Bobbie7,
you've been a real help too (as was endo, with the trick about the
pictures).  I don't know how to share the award, so I'll just watch
for another opportunity to post a bonus for Bobbie7.  I'm sure
there'll be one.

Thanks, all--
Apteryx

Apteryx-ga!


 Thank you for allowing me to provide an answer to your question.
However, you are right in emphasizing that many have helped you with
their comments and clarifications. I feel a bit ashamed to take the
credit here, since you have not actually found the purse that is an
exact replica of the one you had previously.

 Yet, I still believe you have two very good choices that come close
to providing you with a purse most like your favorite "keeper."

 If you are willing to invest the money to try out the online model
you liked, it is certainly worth a try.

 Secondly, a custom-made purse is an excellent solution and will
probably get you the purse you really want. I would go ahead and
contact the craftsman at
http://www.em-are-leather.com/contactme/contactme.html  

 The bags look beautiful and the addition of your pictures would
provide the accuracy necessary to make sure the purse is constructed
just the way you want it.

 Please let me (and everyone else) know how things turn out. Judging
by the overwhelming interest in your question, it seems many of us
have experienced the common difficulty of finding just the right
handbag!!

 We will all be anxious to know the end result of your quest!


 umiat-ga

You have done an excellent job of research, umiat, and I thank you. 
As I said, I will also remember our other fine helpers and pay special
attention to them in the future.

I ordered the $29.99 bag.  It does have the zipper placement and
pull-through strap design I'm after, and it is actually deeper and
roomier, but the different proportions change the overall
configuration to something not quite as versatile.  Also the leather
is so soft that the sides just sort of collapse in and don't fold over
crisply, so the effect is not as successful as in the one I already
had.  Still, this means that the concept is not unique and that I can
possibly find another--and that a custom leatherworker shouldn't have
to worry too much about a proprietary design.

I would also add that if I had seen this second bag first, I probably
would have been thrilled to death with it and not gone on a quest. 
It's good.  It's just not, you know, ultimate.

I am also in touch with 'Em Are Leather, as you recommended, and am
referring the contact person to this site for information.

So--something will come of this, and I'll post a comment when it does.

Again, many thanks all around!

Apteryx

Apteryx

This won't help, I'm afraid, but here it is:
"Mervyn's offers goods under its own private labels, including Hillard & Hanson"
http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/9/0,2163,56329,00.html

Hope someone finds you a great purse - Leli

Thanks, Leli--I was aware of that.  That's why I was asking who made
it--assuming that there was an OEM in the picture somewhere, because
H&H is just a private brand.  I thought perhaps whoever OEM'd this for
Mervyn's might have sold it elsewhere under another label.  If I could
find out who that was, I could possibly track it down.  Your comment
confirms this but, as you say, does not lead me to an answer.

This ingenious design just couldn't have been a solitary, singular
anomaly, never to be seen again . . . could it??

Apteryx

Hi,

Is there no way you can take a picture of it and upload this picture
to the web somehow?

Thanks.
endo

endo, I don't know!  Maybe one of the researchers can tell us if
there's a way to do that.  Certainly I could put a picture on my own
website and link to that, but then there would go the privacy of my
screen name, because it's not hard to find out who owns a website.  Is
there a common area of any kind at GA where files can be uploaded
without publishing personal information?  Or is there any way to link
an attachment or embed a graphic within a posted message?

Apteryx

Hi,

You can upload your picture to:
ftp://ftp.membres.lycos.fr  
username: dbky  
password: googleanswers  

If you are not familiar with using FTP, please let me know and I'll
guide you through it.

Thanks.
endo

Thanks, endo--I took a bunch of pictures with a digital camera, but I
am not at all sure I want to upload anything to a Lycos site in
France.  What makes it private?  Don't they capture IP addresses? 
Gosh, I wish I could just attach one to this message.  Or maybe
PinkFreud would let me post my pix alongside that cute photo of a
suitable-for-worshiping red-headed doll in a pink dress and the one of
Her Majesty with a quirky little amused smile.

Apteryx

Hi,

There's nothing private about it all, in all cases it's being
advertised publicly here.
I don't understand what your concern is about IP addresses? I'm sure
they don't mind.

Thanks.
endo

apteryx,

If your concern is that the lycos FTP site is somehow monitored by
researchers to see *who* you really are, it's not. But to ease your
mind, you can set up a completely anonymous site here --

You can upload your photos to:   

http://www.imagemagician.com 

You will need to go through free registration first to do so. Then
come back here and use the CLARIFY QUESTION button and post the URL so
that we can see your pictures. The URL will be the filenames that
begin with:

"http://www.imagemagician.com/filelist.php?large_view="

-K~

Thank you, Knowledge_seeker, yes--it's the privacy of my screen name
that I'm preserving (not that someone sufficiently diligent couldn't
penetrate it or that I'm posting anything I'd be ashamed to
acknowledge; but what's a screen name for?).  Unfortunately the site
you referred me to says it's temporarily closed to new-user sign-ups
as of June 7th.  My pictures are all ready to upload.  Is there
another way?

Apteryx

Take a look at the following page, item # 910.  I think it comes very
close to what you're looking for.  I have a couple of these and they
are absolutely great, very high quality but a little pricey....

http://www.adamleathers.com/leatbacpacan.html

Hi,

I wouldn't worry too much, no one is monitoring that FTP server.
You can safely upload to there and we'll never know anything more about you.

Thanks.
endo

Hey, endo,

I'm attempting to connect to the site you gave me through FTP, but
when I choose "connect" it says this:

!Can't get "ftp://ftp.membres.lycos.fr" host entry
!Connection failed ftp://ftp.membres.lycos.fr

Maybe I don't have everything filled in right.  What goes in the "Host
type" box?

And if I do connect, how will I know where to put the pix, and how do
I give the URL that retrieves them?

This could just be me, but I thought that several comments here
sounded a bit condescending in remarking on my concerns about privacy.
 It doesn't seem at all peculiar to me to be protective of one's
screen name.  Does it to you?  I notice that nobody who has posted
comments on this page appears to be using his or her personal name. 
In any case, I didn't say anything about "monitoring."  I just don't
want to make a posting that amounts to signing my name.

Apteryx

Hi,

Host entry is just:
ftp.membres.lycos.fr 

>And if I do connect, how will I know where to put the pix
You can put the pictures anywhere.

>and how do I give the URL that retrieves them?
Any researcher can then connect in the same way and look at them.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sure that it was not intended at all.
You are right in taking the necessary precautions, since Google
Answers doesn't allow users exchanging personal contacts. I'm sorry if
any comments were felt as aggressive. I was just trying to emphasize,
that no knowledge of you, could be extracted from you uploading to
that FTP.

I hope this works out.

Sorry for any confusion.
Regards,
endo

Okay, endo, they're there . . . I think . . . like this: 
ftp://ftp.membres.lycos.fr/Apteryx

I think you mean that a researcher (or anyone) would now connect to
that site via FTP and download the pix, and not that I can give a URL
for anyone to click to bring the pictures up online.  Right?  So--go
look, please, and tell me what you see.

As for the remarks, it's ok--I just felt that you and K_R were
implying that my concern was something irrational and not just a
reasonable precaution.  We all have our reasons for availing ourselves
of the privacy that GA affords.

Aside to pedersen1:  that's a beautiful bag, though costing more than
twice what I have ever spent on a purse.  It might well be worth it. 
But I can't tell if this has the convertible feature or not.  If you
can see my pictures, maybe you'll be able to say.  I'd spring for a
lifetime-quality purchase if it really is the right one.

Thank you,
Apteryx

Hi,

Yes anyone can view the pictures, but what I meant is that hopefully a
researcher will look at them and try and help you out.

Someone can either connect to the FTP and download them or you can
also give out the URLs which are:
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse1.jpg
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse2.jpg
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse3.jpg
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse4.jpg
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse5.jpg
http://membres.lycos.fr/dbky/Apteryx/Purse6.jpg

Sorry I didn't explain how to obtain the URLs before because they
depended on where you uploaded the files and what they were called.
 
Just to emphasize again, I'm sure I talk for knowledge_seeker as well
when I say that that was not our intention. I appreciate your concern
and apologize for any misunderstanding.

Hopefully now with the pictures available (which are very nice by the
way :) ), a researcher will be able to answer your question.

Regards,
endo

Exceedingly cool!  Thank you, endo!  It is great to know how to do
this now.  (I hope I am not trespassing on somebody's property--I feel
as if I had just climbed someone's fence and stolen a peach from their
tree.  AND left my calling card in the grass.)  Thanks to everyone
who's taken such an interest in my quest.

Now, umiat, are you still interested in pursuing this one?

Apteryx

Hi, Apteryx!

My purse-searching endeavors have not been successful, but I wanted to
remark upon the wonderful bespectacled orangutan who is helping you to
exhibit the purse. I've always felt a certain kinship with auburn
apes. ;-)

~Pink

Thanks, Pink--I can see why!

That's my little monk from the Zen monkastery.  I added the specs
because he's had a little eye trouble ever since his sudden
enlightenment.  He seemed just the right fellow to help me demonstrate
"not this, not that."

Apteryx

Hi Apteryx, 
 
I located a ladies leather sling bag which is similar to the one you're
looking for.
 
They carry navy, offwhite, burgundy, green, brown and black. 
 
You can view the bag at different angles by placing your mouse on the
small pictures.
 
Price: $29.99 
  
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=29946 
 
What do you think of this bag? 
 
Thanks, 
 
Bobbie7

Greetings Apteryx:

I uncovered a bit more confirmation of Leli's comment:

At http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories/features/1036722289.shtml
there is an article titled "Nifty to be clothes thrifty."  In the
right sidebar, is the statement "Beware of knockoffs. A skirt may, at
first glance, appear to be the Burberry "check." If inside it says
Hillard & Hanson, it’s from Mervyns."

It may be that Mervyns had this bag designed and then they decided to
discontinue it.  The above statement led me to believe that "Hillard &
Hanson" is Mervyn's store brand name.  I found confirmation of that at
http://www.westcov.org/council/pr020401b.html where it is stated "The
women's selection, from Mervyn's exclusive Hillard & Hanson® career
wear line, includes a pantsuit, coordinating skirt, sweater twin set,
blouse, accessories, shoes and hosiery."

*********

However, I located an Ebay seller who has previously sold Hillard &
Hanson purses.  The Ebay page for the seller is located at
http://www.stores.ebay.com/psiloveyou/plistings/list/all/dept2/index.html
and you may send an email to the seller through the Ebay system when
you are logged in.  Just click on the seller's user name at the top of
the page and you'll be prompted to sign in.

Here's a link to the current Ebay general listings on a search there
of "Hillard Hanson purse" in the "Search title and description" area.

I hope you find a source for these bags.  It is a *very* cool and
practical design.

Best regards,
journalist-ga

SEARCH STRATEGY:

Hillard and Hanson
Hillard & Hanson
Hillard Hanson handbag
Hillard Hanson purse
Mervyn's Hillard & Hanson

Thanks, Journalist.  Hillard & Hanson is in fact one of several
Mervyn's store brands, as I acknowledged in my June 8th reply to Leli.
 I searched on that name and everything else I could think of before I
posted a question here.  GA researchers typically think of angles I
don't see or draw upon their own store of knowledge and lore to frame
a search string, but this one seems to have been a stumper.

The eBay link is interesting, and you're the first to suggest that;
but I don't see anything there that resembles my target.  However,
maybe-maybe-MAYBE some enlightened designer or buyer will see these
remarks and think about helping to make this design more readily
available!  Wouldn't that be interesting?

Apteryx

apteryx,
 Thank you for the very nice rating and tip! Keep us informed!

I enjoyed reading this question and kept hoping it might be answered
the further I got into it.

Forget the "customer relations" people. My recommendation is to
contact the BUYER at Mervyn's and find out from him/her where they got
the purse. I guess it's unlikely that you are located near their HQ so
I would call Mervyn's HQ and get the name/phone of the BUYER
responsible for handbags. Then I would write a short letter stating
what you are looking for. Include an 8x10 photo and all the other info
you have. I would send this Airborne to possibly get more attention
(and not bend the photo.) Be sure to include your contact phone #'s &
email - stress that it is okay to call - (buyers are very busy people
likely won't have time to write snailmail back). Follow up with a call
if you don't hear anything. I'd also be ready with another Airborne
pack if necessary (if they claim they didn't get it.) It may be that
the buyer has moved on to another category, but he/she is probably
around somewhere. They might also put you in touch with the rep who
sold them this item. (you are right in that it is probably marketed
under another brand somewhere.

Again - go to the source, the buyer at the store HQ. 

Hope you find it. 

Mark

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