AS the daughter of a fashionable mother with a love of bags, it is no surprise that Tina Lim Long developed a passion and an eye for bags herself.

'This is the bag that started it all,' she says, brandishing a charming little black oval-boxed bag her mother gave her as a birthday present when she was in her teens.

One bag quickly led to others. But recently it has been vintage bags for the principal partner and business manager of Bernard Harrison and Friends.

PAST TIMES: Ms Lim shows off a 1930s-40s green leather bag, unmarked, and a Morris Moskovitch black raffia bag. Those with a strong sense of self and style will adore the one-of-a-kind exclusive pieces at her shop-in-home retail outlet, Strange But Cool.

Ms Lim, in her 40s, started collecting vintage bags about five years ago, and 'seriously', about two years ago.

Today she has more than 300 bags, bought mostly from dealers in the United States, as well as during her travels in Europe. Some are rare and in mint condition. Otherwise, she restores them herself.

Ms Lim, who used to work for The Body Shop and Christian Dior, will soon be exhibiting and retailing these one-of-a-kind vintage bags through her shop-in-home retail outlet, Strange But Cool.

Bags like a Maximilia portfolio-size leather clutch, with the designer's trademark colourfully stitched in front, and signed by hand inside. Maximilia was highly sought after in the 60s and 70s, having been 'discovered' by a fashion editor.

And then there are Whiting & Davis mesh bags, a company known for its metal meshes, and which has been making bags since the late 1880s. Ms Lim's collection includes a rare 'black diamond' mesh that is less common than the white meshes.

Her collection also includes a Morris Moscowitz raffia bag with a wooden handle, as well as Korat bags, which have an antelope for the logo.

Some bags are unmarked - but recognisably vintage from their unique shapes and workmanship. She has tooled leather bags and bags made with Bakelite handles and frames, translucently brown Bakelite being the precursor to modern plastic.

Materials for vintage bags range from velvet to leather, including exotic leathers for those with 'sophisticated' taste. A Sterling baguette-shaped bag in crocodile skin has also been okayed for the collectors' market, 'because it is pre-Cites; I checked with my husband (Bernard Harrison)', says Ms Lim. Cites stands for the 'Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species' - a 1975 treaty to ensure that plants and animals are not endangered by international trade.

Some of the oldest bags in her collection are beaded and date back to the 1920s. Then there are also bags from the 1930s, labels such as Josef and Walborg.

Bags are priced from $200 and above, with those in mint condition costing about 30 per cent more. These are bags to be used, she says. They are not just for collecting. Every time Ms Lim carries a bag from her vintage collection, it attracts comments. In fact, it has taken her a while to get used to the idea that she is parting with any of them. 'They're like babies, there's only one or a couple of each of them at a time. You can't get another like them.'

Ms Lim, who used to buy 'branded' bags, says she has come full circle in her appreciation of vintage. 'It's for those with a strong sense of self and style,' she reckons. 'But once you start, it's very hard to backtrack, because you appreciate that these are one-of-a-kind exclusive pieces made with fine craftsmanship and materials that are difficult to find these days.'

Her vintage bags are available for viewing and retail by appointment. Please e-mail Tina@Strangebutcool.com.

This article was first published in The Business Times on Mar 8, 2008.