Marilyn Brooks Clock Purse

Here is an iconic piece of Canadian design: a 1980s era patent Clock Purse by Marilyn Brooks.

Brooks was born in the US, moved to Canada after college and started a hip Yorkville boutique called the Unicorn in the 1960s. In the 1970s, she rebranded and launched a series of Marilyn Brooks Boutiques across Canada and the States. Her designs under the Marilyn Brooks label were also carried by many other retailers.

In the 1980s, Brooks introduced the Clock Purse — a vinyl covered handbag with a working quartz timepiece set inside. These purses became her signature (and were knocked off all over the world). And on Wednesday, I was lucky enough to this one at the Value Village.