Clutches: coming or going? - YouLookFab Forum

It is time to switch out my purse for fall, I can't make my canvas nautical-looking bag pull duty any longer (though thanks to the last 2 capsules Angie posted, I have been wearing the heck out of my navies, stripes, and my new white anorak/utility jacket).

I am a one-purse-per-season girt, to all intents and purposes. If I do switch it has to be for a very good reason and even then I find I am missing my lipstick, headache tablets, some membership card or other...

Last year I was using a nice (to me) leather bag inherited from my daughter, and then misplaced it within my house for what ended up being months. I got in the habit of using a simple black clutch that I have had forever, and found it worked really well for me, because it had room for all the absolute essentials, but also fit neatly inside the work tote, reusable shopping bag, music tote, or whatever else I was lugging around at the same time.

Now I wonder if I should resume that plan, or should I switch to something new? I have a lovely thrifted Kate Spade bag in black-and-white tartan that looks SO me (gifted to me at end of spring so I've barely used it), but tiny, so holds less than the clutch and less versatile in fitting into other things. And a couple of other nice purses...that are largely wasted on me.

Last time I was in the US and got to visit an outlet mall, I hit up a fancy purse store__I had some $ to burn and was in process of losing weight, so I thought maybe it was time for a "designer" or at least high-end bag. Well after the salesman finished explaining how I should dust it, keep it out of the sun, and stuff it with paper when not in use, I realized there is NO room in my life for a purse that is more high-maintenance than I am!

So: will carrying the clutch still look au courant? (We must be pretty backward here, I hit the mall last weekend looking for Chelsea boots and nothing nowhere except for the men's ones at Merrell.) Or should I make a stab at making the KS work? Or pull out a new-to-me big leather bag to fit all the shoes and lab results and other stuff I tote around daily?

12 years ago

cbayna

Active Member

You mentioned KS bag as being tiny, maybe you can use that bag on special occasion when you do not have to carry too much i.e. going out on week ends. If you notice Angie's photos she has her clutch in some of them, so I would say they are au corant.

Kristin L

Veteran

I think clutches are still very current. I like cbayna's idea of using it as a special occasion purse.

Suz

(website)

Clutches still look current to me! Of course not all clutches are created equal.

Laughed at your line about a bag that is higher maintenance than you. I won't allow one in the house, either.

Alexandra

Same here on high maintenance bags. I think clutches are great, especially when they really work for you.

CocoLion

The evening clutch is a timeless look.

The daytime clutch is a newer concept and while no longer a cutting edge look, it is still on trend. I love my clutches! No more sore necks.

I have noticed that right now, all sorts of bags are trending. You've got satchels, totes, clutches, cross-body bags and now backpacks all readily available. Something for everyone. Hobos are my least favorite right now due to the neck issue plus I wore them to death in the early to mid 00s. But I am sure there are some fashionable ones out there. This is simply my preference.

I particularly like a clutch with a hidden strap you can pop out of the bag when needed. Having left a clutch behind *twice* (but a good samaritan retrieved it each time with nothing taken), this is important to me. If the bag doesn't have a strap, I have another strategy:

The clutch + tote. I can slip the clutch into the tote, which also holds my laptop and sweater, a few purchases etc.

Echo

IMO, the size and style of bag one carries ought to be the best and most convenient for your lifestyle. In other words, when bags large enough to carry toddlers around in became trendy, I never carried enormous bags because they looked ridiculous on me and weren't even remotely convenient. The style and detailing of a bag do much more to determine if it is current or trendy or not than size. So if a clutch works for your lifestyle, then absolutely go with a clutch, just make sure that its details are more current.

As for high maintenance bags, none of the things the SA was telling you are any more necessary for a high end bag than they are for a lower priced bag. It is just that people tend to get a little more peeved when their high end bag looks crumpled and worn in short order, so they tend to want to keep it looking nice in order to get a better return on their investment (be able to carry it longer). All leathers will fade as they are exposed to UV rays (as will furniture and rugs and curtains), and any bag will get crumpled faster when it is tossed empty into a closet than when it is stuffed. A good leather or designer bag should not be any more high maintenance than any other.

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