Shoe Bag

We are not sure the proper timeframe for this piece. It’s the only one we’ve ever seen, and while the presence of the Star and Banana would date it to the mid-80s, the font does not. Read more below…

This was submitted by Friend to the Republic Wendy Joffe, who writes:

“This is an item I simply couldn’t pass up.  I bought it last August on ebay as part of a vintage BR lot; the BIN of about $20 made the purchase a steal.  The lot also included a linen & leather document bag, and three scarves which, respectively, date from the late 80s (post-Ziegler) to the early 90s.  Occasionally I see the same scarves on ebay and Etsy, each listed at over $20.  Two of the scarves are silk, so go figure.
The scarves in this lot didn’t really excite me, and I’d already found a nice document bag at a good price — so, yeah, I really spent twenty bucks to get this simple, drawstring pouch.  I did ask the seller what the history behind this lot is, and she replied there was no other info available.  I assume this lot was found at a garage sale.
When the bag arrived, I set to translating the Italian inscription (thanks, Google!).  What we have is:  FATTO IN ITALIA, i.e., MADE IN ITALY.  That’s a no-brainer.  And:  GRIGIO — MISURA 8, i.e., GREY — MEASURE [size] 8.
Hmm…with the exception of surplus footwear, I think all BR’s shoes & boots were made in Italy, per specifications.  But no shoe style in grey came to mind, so the catalogues were brought out and the sleuthing began.  (I do so enjoy BR sleuthing!)  In the Summer ’87 collection, I found the Women’s Traveling Shoe, open toe variation, in “pewter”.  This could be it!  If so, manufacturer-included shoe bags are both thoughtful and practical.  After a day’s trekking o’er the cobbles, it wouldn’t do to risk dirtying one’s clothing already packed in the luggage.
I am tentatively dating this bag to the ’80s, mainly due to the star & bananas logo at the hub of the spoked wheel.  The font used for “BR” we see primarily from 1993 onward, but I wonder if the shoe maker took the liberty of using a simple font in this case.  If someone out there could shed more light on this story, I’d be most grateful.

Details:  Cotton bag, measuring 16″ long x 7.5″ wide.  Sturdy leather drawcord, ends secured w/ overhand knot.  Logo on one side, only.  No interior tags, labels, or marks.  Construction is very simple, and rather crude; it’s just a rectangle of fabric w/ fold-over casing for the drawcord, and a straight-stitched interior seam.  The fabric edges are unfinished, which is rather odd; a simple overcast stitch would prevent fraying.”