Clear-Vinyl Purses May Show More Than You Want To Tell

They’re hip. They’re haute. They’re plastic.

Like all things retro, clear-vinyl purses are making a comeback. From Johnny Farrah to Chanel, designer labels are cranking out show-and-tell totes.

But before you cultivate the barely there trend, here are a few things you should know:

“I’ll tell you one thing, you have to keep a very neat handbag,” says Sonia Gibson, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue in Bal Harbour, Fla. “Make it attractive because you’re truly letting the world see into your soul.”

That means think twice before tossing, ladies. Definite don’ts: Birth control devices. Handcuffs. Feminine hygiene products. Semi-automatic weapons. Dingy makeup cases. Cash. And, of course, candles.

Candles?

Ask Fernando Garcia, fashion designer and co-owner of Alta y Baja in Miami Beach, what happened when he left his clear vinyl backpack - stuffed with candles - in a car one sunny afternoon. They melted. “Don’t carry anything that could melt,” he advises, “because once it looks nasty inside, it looks nasty forever.”

Garcia suggests hiding unmentionables in a colorful wrap - “one of those really wild Spanish scarves, or a Hermes, depending on the person.”

At the Stock Exchange, a vintage clothing store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., co-owner Carol Levin suggests a retro-1950s handkerchief to conceal “your dollar bills.” The Exchange carries a handful of original clear-vinyl purses ($18 to $25) from the early 1960s, when they first hit the scene.

Designers have improved on the concept since then. Many now include opaque coin purses, such as Fashion Express’ mini-backpacks ($20 at Contempo Casuals) or Paloma Picasso’s jumbo black and clear mesh tote ($195 at Bloomingdales), which comes with a black, attached billfold.

Thrifty shoppers can pick up a Michael Stevens backpack at Burdines for $20. For the AbFab set, Chanel offers heavy, leather-trimmed clear purses with gold-chain handles for a stunning $1,850. What you don’t get for your 37 $50 bills: a place to hide what you’ve got left. Sorry, sweeties.