Fashion Week Handbags: Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2012

Images via Vogue.com

Fashion can be divided into two groups: conceptual and literal. Conceptual pieces hint at their inspiration or theoretical underpinnings, while literal things just go right out and tell you where they came from and why they’re here. For the handbags of Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2012, things got very literal.

That’s neither praise nor a critique; as a descriptor, “literal” is value-neutral, and whether it’s good or bad depends entirely on the intent of the designer. With clutches in this line ranging from clocks to hearts to dominoes, I can say with confidence that von Furstenberg very much meant for us to chuckle a little bit when we saw what was in her models’ hands. Indeed, the cute little clutches were the star of the show, but I’m more interested in the richly textured burgundy bags, trimmed in fur and contrasting leather. Those are the kinds of pieces that get you through a long, hard winter, even if a little cloud clutch might be cute to see on the runway.