The Pink Catarina: A Collector’s Guide to a Mid-Century Hair Comb

The particular shade of pink that defines the Pink Catarina is neither the saccharine baby pink of 1950s confectionery nor the bold magenta of late Sixties psychedelia. It is a nuanced coral-rose, less a colour and more a memory of light through stained glass. If you have ever held a piece of mid-century English celluloid that has aged gracefully, you will recognise it immediately: a warm, slightly translucent pink that catches the afternoon sun and holds it, rather than reflecting it back. The store p559 Pink Catarina is one of those rare hair accessories that manages to be both utterly of its time and quietly timeless.

Catalogued under the reference p559 Pink Catarina, this piece belongs to a family of mid-twentieth-century hair ornaments that British women tucked into their chignons or clipped behind their ears for dances, weddings, and ordinary Tuesdays. The name “Catarina” suggests a continental romance – perhaps inspired by a holiday souvenir or a film heroine – and the design itself carries echoes of Portuguese filigree and English cottage-garden blooms. Despite its delicate appearance, the Pink Catarina is surprisingly robust, a testament to the skill of the craftspeople who worked with the early thermoplastics that revolutionised the accessory industry after the Second World War.

A Closer Look at the Pink Catarina

The Pink Catarina is a hair comb, not a barrette. That distinction matters to collectors: combs were designed to be slid into upswept hair, often used to secure a roll or a French twist, while barrettes grip a smaller section. The piece measures roughly four inches across, with five gracefully curved teeth that taper to rounded tips. The body of the comb is a single continuous piece of moulded celluloid, dyed through in that unmistakable pink. What sets the Catarina apart is the decoration on the crest: a cluster of stylised petals and tiny cut-out circles that mimic the look of hand-carved horn or ivory. The effect is delicate, almost lace-like, yet the material has a subtle flexibility that prevents breakage during normal wear.

Celluloid, the material of choice for so many mid-century hair accessories, is a fascinating subject in its own right. Invented in the 1860s as a substitute for ivory and tortoiseshell, it had a long commercial life in Britain. By the 1950s, it was being cast in increasingly elaborate moulds, allowing for intricate shapes at a fraction of the cost of natural materials. The Pink Catarina’s maker (likely a small workshop in Birmingham or London, though the exact provenance of the p559 series remains undocumented) used a two-part mould that left a faint seam along the inner curve of the comb – a detail that authenticators look for today. The pink colour was achieved by adding an organic pigment to the liquid celluloid before it was rolled and pressed. Over decades, that pigment can shift slightly, giving surviving pieces a deeper, more apricot-toned pink than the original catalogue may have shown.

Why the Pink Catarina Deserves a Place in Your Collection

British vintage hair accessories have seen a quiet revival among curators and fashion enthusiasts who value craftsmanship and story over fast trends. The Pink Catarina sits at an intersection of several desirable qualities: it is small enough to be worn daily, unusual enough to spark conversation, and affordable enough to be a realistic entry point for new collectors. It also works beautifully across seasons – that coral-rose pink complements the grey flannels of autumn as well as the white linen of summer.

For those who already own a piece from the Maison Archives family, such as The Sukie Barrette: A Collector's Guide to Maison Archives' Store P261, the Pink Catarina offers a complementary silhouette: where the Sukie is bold and angular, the Catarina is soft and romantic. Worn together – the Sukie at the temple, the Catarina at the nape – they create a layered, intentional look that nods to both structure and flow.

How to Style the Pink Catarina Today

The challenge with a single vintage hair comb is that modern hair tends to be less rigidly styled than the sculpted waves of the 1950s. But that is precisely why the Pink Catarina works so well: it does not demand a perfect beehive. Here are three ways to integrate it into a contemporary wardrobe:

• Low bun with a twist. Gather your hair into a low ponytail, twist it into a loose bun, and secure with a hair elastic. Then slide the Pink Catarina in from the top, angling it so the petals fan outward. The subtle pink will peek through dark hair or add a whisper of colour to blonde or grey.
• Half-up, half-down. Take a section from each temple, twist them to the back, and secure with the comb. This works especially well with textured hair – the teeth grip without pulling, and the floral motif sits like a natural ornament.
• Side part pin. On short hair or a sleek bob, use the comb as a single decorative pin on one side. Let the petals rest against the ear. It is an unexpectedly modern silhouette, reminiscent of the 1990s minimalism that rediscovered 1940s shapes.

If you are wearing a simple white blouse and tailored trousers, the Pink Catarina adds a touch of deliberate old-world charm. If your style leans towards prints and colour, the comb’s neutral warmth ties disparate elements together. The key is to let it be a highlight, not a clutter – one piece, carefully placed.

Care and Preservation of a Celluloid Treasure

Celluloid is a temperamental material. It is flammable – famously so – and it can deteriorate if exposed to high heat, direct sunlight, or certain plastics. A Pink Catarina that has survived seventy years in good condition deserves careful handling to ensure it lasts another seventy.

First, always store celluloid accessories in a cool, dark place. A lined jewellery box or a fabric pouch works well. Avoid plastic zip-lock bags; the chemicals can interact with the celluloid and cause cloudiness or sticky residue. If you notice a faint vinegar-like smell, that is a sign of early decomposition – known as “celluloid disease” – and the piece should be isolated immediately from other accessories.

Cleaning is minimal. A soft, dry cloth is usually sufficient. If the piece has accumulated dust in the crevices, use a very slightly damp cotton bud (distilled water only) and dry it thoroughly afterwards. Never use alcohol, acetone, or ammonia-based cleaners – these will dissolve the surface or dull the colour. And never, ever put a celluloid hair accessory in boiling water to “sanitise” it; the result will be a sad, warped puddle of plastic.

For more detailed advice on maintaining vintage hair ornaments, the approach used for The Emoji Organic Basket: A 1970s Hair Accessory Rediscovered – which focuses on gentle handling and material-specific cleaning – is equally applicable to your Pink Catarina. The same principles of low humidity, no direct sunlight, and minimal intervention apply across the board.

What to Look for When Buying a Pink Catarina

Because the Pink Catarina was mass-produced in the mid-century, many examples survive, but condition varies enormously. The original pink is stable as long as the comb has been stored away from light, but pieces that spent decades on a vanity table in a sunny room may have faded to a pale blush or, conversely, darkened to a muddy brown. Look for even colour across the whole piece. Check the teeth for cracks or chips – a missing tooth is very difficult to repair, though a comb with one small flaw might still be wearable if the damaged tooth is at the end. Examine the cut-out petals for sharp edges; sometimes the moulding left slight flash that was never fully polished away. That is not a defect, but a sign of honest manufacture. Finally, hold it up to the light. Celluloid should glow slightly. If it is opaque or cloudy, it may have started to degrade.

The stamp on the back – if present – can help date the piece. Many mid-century British combs were marked with a code that indicates the factory and year. The p559 series seems to have been produced in the early 1950s, judging by the style and the material composition. Unfortunately, no surviving manufacturer’s catalogue has been found for the line, so each piece carries a little mystery. That only adds to its charm.

Why the Pink Catarina Matters Now

In an era of disposable fashion, holding a piece of well-preserved celluloid is a quiet act of resistance. The Pink Catarina is not a statement piece in the loud sense; it does not demand attention. But it rewards attention. The way the light travels through the pink, the smoothness of the worn edges, the slight asymmetry in the petals – these are marks of real human making, of a time when a simple hair comb could be both functional and beautiful. Wearing it is a connection to the women who chose it for their own hair decades ago, who perhaps wore it to a dance or a job interview or a quiet afternoon tea. That continuity is what makes vintage accessories so deeply satisfying.

If you come across a Pink Catarina at a flea market or an online auction, take a moment to inspect it closely. Run your thumb over the petals. Check the teeth for flexibility. And if the colour is still that impossible, warm coral-rose, consider yourself lucky. It is a piece of British design history that still has stories to tell – and it will tell them beautifully in your hair.