Clutches (Page 6)

I usually kind of wish that Stella McCartney used leather for some of her bags, even though I can understand and respect why she chooses not to. Often, though, I find myself wondering if faux leather bags (or worse, simple canvas or nylon totes) are worth the steep price that she usually charges, and those thoughts have somewhat turned me off to the brand.

If there was a better way to get me reinterested than doing something stupendously odd like the Stella McCartney Wooden Accordion Clutch, however, than I can’t even imagine what it would be. This little bag is inventive but retro, technical but beautiful, and has 100% of my attention. I feel like I could play with it for hours.

Just when I think that nothing a handbag designer does could possibly surprise me, someone goes and figures out a way to make me look twice. Thank God for innovation, even if it’s a little weird – without people trying new things, we’d all be carrying around the same black leather tote, and it takes a lot of ingenuity to go from the idea of a plain, utilitarian bag to the creation of something as fantastically weird as the Maison Martin Margiela Reflector Clutch

Yep, that’s right. Reflectors, meaning the little plastic things that people stick on the backs of their bikes so that cars won’t run them over at night. The clutch is embellished with those.

Ummmm. This, my friends, is the very first time I have been completely confused with a Bottega Veneta Knot Clutch. I have to admit, I feel completely, 100% without a doubt, in love with knot clutches when they first and continued to appear. The design of these clutches wasn’t completely unique and in fact the designs themselves kept repeating one another over and over again. However, I appreciated every aspect each one had to give: the leather, the detailing, the simplicity, the eccentric-ness (is that even a word?). And then, and then I came across this version and I am not really sure.

When Amanda covered the Derek Lam Python Elsa Clutch last summer, she was not keen on the bag. And you all shared your opinions, mostly saying that you disagreed and loved the bag. I was not moved either way. But now I am and I have to share it with you all.

It was as if the other photo made the bag look bland and lackluster. Or maybe it was even the color of the bag. But once this bright turquoise Derek Lam Elsa Leather Clutch caught my eye, I felt overcome to share it with you.

A couple of weeks before the Super Bowl, I went on an intense internet hunt for this exact clutch. All I wanted to do was photograph it in front of the Super Bowl sign on Fort Lauderdale Beach. But no, I could not find it. It was no where to be found. And my perfect shutterbag image I was going to have Vlad take did not happen.

But here it is, of course not exactly when I wanted to see it but I welcome it. Everything about the Alexander Wang Spring 2010 collection spoke to me. Casual, sporty, chic can sum up his spring collection. The models, with their loose side braids, were the talk of the fashion world. Football touches were added to the wardrobe, either in the clothing design or the bags. I am in love with the Alexander Wang Brady Football Clutch which shows a quilted panel at the front and back and football laces-likes whipstitching at the front.

So Balmain is trying out the whole handbag endeavor. And the consensus is a bit of mixed with mostly a side of “ehh”. I felt entirely underwhelmed and let down. Fairly simple messenger style bags were released with a few adornments, but all the exact same design. And the price was exorbitantly high for a new line of bags that were not hand-stitched.

I ignored and moved on. And the handbag-o-sphere went silent about Balmain. But now Net A Porter popped up with a few clutches and it time for a review.

I’m so utterly pleased to see the bags from the Fendi Spring 2010 catwalk starting to land in stores. This bag collection is my favorite from Fendi in…well, almost forever. It had a bohemian grace and ease to it that is difficult to capture, and they did a fine job.

The Fendi Wood-Frame Leather Clutch is a great example of the slightly boho vibe that the collection had, and unlike the emerging clog trend (no no no, I cannot live in a world where clogs are ok), the wooden touches on this leather handbag are totally acceptable. They might even be pretty.