Rant warning:
Quite right, also IMHO, it's because of three historical points. A lot had to do with the postwar generation that valued personal freedom and equality (in some ways) but also threw away a lot of 'square' ideas about bourgeois things like taking care of possessions and keeping up appearances.
We think of Western Europe as rich and affluent (compared to Eastern Europe they certainly were) but post-WWII there were dire shortages, in the UK rationing was still in place until the mid-1950s and currency was not allowed to be taken abroad beyond 'expenses'. If people could afford it they might have a holiday abroad, to Switzerland if they also wanted a watch, to Paris if they needed a dress or to Italy for shoes. The boutique 'quick-change' culture in the 1960s changed that for younger people, but it took probably another decade or two before this group, the 'sixties generation' found their way uptown purchasing.
It's hard to imagine but even in 1960s things were scarcer including leather goods, a company was not able to set up globally. If someone was lucky enough to afford a luxury handbag they knew there might not be that many more around just like it (Gucci was only sold in a handful of stores, so few, Gucci could write the locations under the GUCCI logo on product boxes). The clientele were mostly older too, teens and twenty-somethings were more likely to be into plastic and vinyl fashion items and had their own hip places 'downtown', leaving Gucci (Chanel, Hermes et al) to their 'bourgeois' parents and a few discerning jet-set celebrities.
Secondly, those that did buy, appreciated how much time and work went into what were mostly handmade expensive 'treasures'. Shopping took time too. There are pictures of stars like Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress and John Wayne genuinely being shown products by Rudolfo or Aldo Gucci, checking for fit, comparing sizes, looking at stitching. The Guccis encouraged people to stay and consider their purchases. A pair of shoes would be stretched to fit, a new hole added to a bag strap so it would reach the curve of the waist etc. These things would be discussed over coffee and cakes would be served, item cost would only be added up when the customer needed to leave (this still happens for VIPs of course but my father (NOT a VIP) could expect (and got) the same treatment). Things were sent back for repair or a clean, to have initials added or changed when upon marriage. It sounds romantic but it was (and is) excellent business practice. I think Gucci is the only store that has ever sent me a handwritten postcard enquiring after my health when I hadn't visited them for 6 months. By the 1980s, 'YUPPIE' culture meant there was no time to invest in nurturing a relationship with 'mere' salespeople, PAs would be sent to choose a present for a wife or whole wardrobes could be selected from a catalogue.
Thirdly, I agree, as you pointed out earlier generations took care of their things, investing time and money to do so because they expected their things to last. Many more people knew how to take care of all their things. Their shoes were clean, polished and shaped with shoe trees their hair 'done' at least once a week, whatever their class or wealth. If they could afford them, furs went to be stored in furriers for Summer, RTW clothes altered or remodeled to fit them properly if they had put on a few pounds. So much less information was a round and yet somehow people knew the difference between real and faux, sable and mink, white and ivory. They didn't have overflowing wardrobes, things rammed and squashed together or leave leather 'stewing' in the sun.
I look at the care and maintenance threads on tPF and I'm stunned. People seem think if they buy some commercial 'miracle' soap or spray, it will just transform everything or keep something perfect forever with no 'elbow-work' involved. At the other end of the spectrum on tPF I see people buy things for thousands of dollars and put it away (cellophane still stick to the hardware) as an 'investment', worried about a scratch that would disappear with the rub of a thumb.
Glad my question inspired such a brilliantly informative observation! Totally agree on every point: fashion always reflects the current socioeconomic environment.
The post-war trends of the 1940s-1960s favored proper fashion, including different handbag types, jewelry, gloves and hats for different times of the day and occasions. With the rise of prosperity, exclusive alligator and crocodile went mainstream, and more people could afford to start investing in upscale fashion and luxury. Yet, hardships were still well remembered. That was one of the reasons why the culture of repair shops was flourishing at that time, but not later. In fact, here in the U.S., virtually every upscale department store had an in-house repair shop with highly skilled cobblers who could not only replace a handbag's handle, but also a frame, gussets, and even a lining. The service included the treatments for drying and cracking, tinting and re-glazing.
In 1943, women were so conservation conscious that the shoe repair shops across the country were swamped with orders to repair, dye or refurbish older handbags. It was noted that the ladies from the affluent Park Avenue sometimes were waiting in line to have their imported alligator purses refreshed right next to their domestics, who also wanted to take care of the handbags gifted to them by their employers a couple of years earlier. (Source: Exotic Skin: Alligator and Crocodile Handbags, www.exoticskinhandbags.com, http://www.exoticskinhandbags.com/#!__the-book, http://www.exoticskinhandbags.com/#!__history/vstc3=mod-60s).
On the other hand, the booming consumerism of the 1980s had resulted in multiplicity of trends and established a totally opposite mentality. When fashion changes so often and fast, you don't think about investing in classics or having them maintained and repaired. You buy often, for less, to try to stay current. The low price demand was then achieved at the expense of quality, when manufacturers used inferior materials that lasted shorter, to force consumers to buy more often. That's why so many bags from the 1980s often look old and well worn - they were just made from the materials inferior in comparison with the 1960s'.
I believe it's a good thing that in the 21st century we went back to investing in fashion and worrying about its preservation. Unfortunately, the art of repair takes a lifetime to master, and it's not easy to find skilled help these days. Perhaps, that's why so many Hermes bag owners take such an extraordinary care of their investment, which I think is commendable. :worthy:
Thanks to your gracious tutoring! 
Do you know the name of this style, if any? Or perhaps some additional details? It looks so pretty and refined... I wish there were some additional info about it. Thank you again! 
How's the family? 
Please share :worthy:
but thank you :kiss:
And 
) Nothing will alter your bag, it's a wonderful piece, whatever the year it's from.
I'll double check my descriptions. Great to have such an informative help :tpfrox: