An ode to the clutch bag
Have you watched a clutch wearer who understands the romance of wearingone under their arm? If you aren’t familiar with this, watch Carrie in SATC season 1, episode 2, in the scene when she’s walking on the sidewalk with Skipper and eating a hot dog, wearing THEE fur coat, luminous side swept curls, a red leather clutch under her arm and opened-toed slip-on heels. I cannot recall if I noticed the clutch the first time I watched SATC in 2013. However, I have fixated on it and the outfit’s essence in the last five years. The feeling crystallizes after every rewatch..
Carrie with her red clutch bag
Recently, I had a new revelation: A shoulder bag seems like an obvious choice to keep Carrie hands-free for this eating and walking scene. But Patricia Field’s selection of this oversized red leather clutch under Carrie’s arm with a fur coat and open-toed slip-on heels (not sandals) seals Carrie’s essence, transcending the show. There are many occasions where a shoulder bag is necessary, but finding the right one that fits over a bulky fur coat without looking frumpy or affecting the essence of wearing one during the day is near impossible. If Field chose one with long straps, it would affect Carrie’s uninhibited, thrown-together elegance.
I have watched people look through their clutches and can’t explain this task’s subtle elegance and romance; you must see it to feel it. In season 6, episode 20, Carrie moves to Paris, and while waiting at The Russian’s office, she finds her “Carrie” nameplate necklace through a hole in her purse after rummaging through her Dior clutch. When I ignore the rest of the outfit, I can enjoy the scene because I enjoy watching people rummage through their clutches. Like her “Carrie” necklace, Bradshaw has other quintessential wardrobe items/styling that define her, and I am most fond of her clutches. (We will cover another one of them in the following newsletter.)
THE Bottega Veneta 1980 Lauren clutch
Since November, I have searched for clutches to buy for my wardrobe after this photo of Lauren Hutton in American Gigolo (top left) came up in a search for vintage Bottega Veneta bags on Pinterest. I have encountered the photo and other angles of the ensemble numerous times and devoured details of the phenomenal trenchcoat and styling. The coat’s fit possessed me so much that my attention never registered the woven Bottega Veneta clutch under her arm. But on my 707th look at these images, I realized that the loosely cradled clutch canonizes Hutton’s ensemble, although the coat is a stunner. In the other photos, she is securing the purse under her arm with her hands in her pockets — delightful!
We see Hutton with the Lauren clutch throughout the movie, which is my favorite aspect of continuity in film costuming. The costume designers broaden the context of the clutch by featuring it with primarily semi-dressy day and evening looks. (Similarly, we can disprove the conception thatclutches are an evening item when we see Carrie in her oversized red clutch day or night.)
Recently, Bottega Venetta reissued the 1980 Lauren clutch, and I die for this image of Rihanna in a mammoth edition of the iconic clutch. Oversized bags are in, but this interpretation reinvents the look for the 21st century.
We see Hutton with the Lauren clutch throughout the movie, which is my favorite aspect of continuity in film costuming. The costume designers broaden the context of the clutch by featuring it with primarily semi-dressy day and evening looks. (Similarly, we can disprove the conception thatclutches are an evening item when we see Carrie in her oversized red clutch day or night.)
Carrier with the same red clutch and blazer jacket in multiple scenes and episodes
The evening clutch bAG
is the most common way people wear clutches. You can choose textiles like satin, velvet, patent leather, or textured leather, like lizard, ostrich, pony hair, or alligator skin. You can also opt for an opulent bedazzled evening clutch, a la Judith Leiber. Cecily Tyson carries the infamous Judith Leiber swan crystal clutch below* (Third Row).
*In SATC season 2 episode 10, Big gifts Carrie the Judith Leiber “swan crystal clutch,” which she finds ugly! I like the clutch, especially as Cecily Tyson wears it, but I wouldn’t buy it because it isn’t my taste.
Top: Left (Cecily Tyson), Middle & Right (Bianca Jagger)
Middle: Left (Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy), Middle (Gwyneth Paltrow)
Bottom: Left & Middle (You know her, and you might disagree with her, but it’s our Patreon saint, Carrie Bradshaw), Right (Cecily Tyson)
The in-between Clutch bag
Next is an in-between clutch. It works day or night! What makes it an in-between clutch is the size. You can get away with a tiny clutch for evening outings. But when I wear a clutch in the daytime, I prefer oversized ones since they can hold books I may not read, a makeup bag filled with expired tubes, 67 receipts (the oldest from 2015), and three sunglasses. The ideal models would be Carrie’s red snakeskin (?) clutch and the Bottega Lauren clutch! Other characteristics include a flap or fold-over option or an envelope-style clutch.
An in-between clutch can be textiles, patent leather in a non-neutral color, woven (leather or wicker), monogram, or beaded. Since none of my advice is the rule, you can carry a smaller clutch during the day, like Bianca Jagger and Carrie Bradshaw do below.
