British designer Matthew Williamson is best known for his richly patterned dresses, but Williamson also knows that with every great evening gown, you need a great handbag. His bags exude the same type of ultra-luxe-hippie sensibility as his ready-to-wear, and they often also feature his bold, intricate prints and embellishments.
In a normal season, that can make Williamson’s bags a bit intimidating to customers, but patterned and embellished accessories are such a strong fall trend that the brand’s clutches have never felt more relevant. The Matthew Williamson Brocade and Suede Clutch is my personal favorite of the season – the orange colorway is particularly gorgeous because the orange stones pick up the warm undertones in the upper part of the clutch. The whole thing could combust at any moment.
This clutch’s design is the perfect example of how to take a literal concept and break it down into an abstract. To me, it looks like a warm, glowing fireplace, but it evokes that feeling without featuring literal flames on the front of the bag. So much in fashion is about the attempt to create beautiful abstractions out of concrete ideas, and I think this Williamson clutch in particular does a nice job of that. You can pick it up for $1615 via Net-a-Porter, or if you’d prefer something that evokes cooler temperatures, you can pick up the green version below for the same price.
