Fun and Festive Clutches

I love clutches. They're one of those things that I can never see myself using in real life but I want in theory, so they're safe for me to drool over online without any danger of me buying one (yes, I have safe and dangerous shopping categories, and yes, I have a retail therapy related problem). My favorites at the moment at the semi-custom clutches from Etsy. You can pick from a bunch of different fabrics or send in your own, and have a darling little frame clutch made for less than $100. While any bright, fun pattern is a good option for summer, I'm really feeling geometric patterns (slightly '80s) and nature-inspired prints, especially florals.

Large Ginko Frame Clutch, $84 at etsy.com, Green ad White Lattice Frame Clutch, $64 at etsy.com, Pink Peony Snap Clutch, $34 at etsy.com: That big, abstracted ginko leaf on this first clutch manages to be organic, earthy, and modern all at the same time, which takes serious talent. The muted color combo and large size mean that you'll get a lot of mileage out of this clutch. This middle clutch might be my favorite (it also comes in black, and I'm torn about which one I like better). The print is sort of geometric, sort of ikat, and sort of Moroccan, which should look psychotic, but comes across as crisp, fresh, and playful. If I haven't already mentioned it like 362346 times, peonies are my favorite flower of all time and I will reflexively buy anything peony printed. The blown-up size and flattened, mod colors of this peony print keep it from being overly cutesy, but the pink keeps it feminine.


Pink Poppies Snap Clutch, $34 at etsy.com, Black and Yellow Damask Snap Clutch, $34 at etsy.com, Collage de Ramas Clutch, $65 at etsy.com: F0r a subtler take on the abstracted flower motif, I like this poppy clutch. The colors are softer and the print is much less graphic, so it has the same freshness as the peony clutch while being a bit more versatile. I'm a sucker for anything Neo-Baroque, and brightly colored damask/brocade is one of my all time loves. This black/yellow print is fun and quirky, but totally classic at the same time, which makes this clutch easy to wear and a total workhorse. I can't tell if this last clutch has branches or coral printed on it, but either way it's freakishly cute. I love the monochromatic color palette, the scraggly, overlapping figures, and the rough, organic nature of the print against the refined girliness of the clutch frame.


Green and White Forest Frame Clutch, $54 at etsy.com, Grammy Bow clutch, $75 at etsy.com, Poppy Frame Clutch, $54 at etsy.com: How adorable is that green and white print? It's a tiny forest! With ponies! I die. It's whimsical and young, but still polished. The limited color palette and blocky forms keep the print from being too childish. This middle clutch is so drop dead glamorous. I mean, the bow is bigger than the clutch. It's ridicul0us, as in ridiculously awesome and impractical, but gorgeous. The print on this last clutch is so chic--it looks like someone watercolored a poppy straight onto the bag, and that makes it look so much more expensive than $54. Just let them all think that you paid more.


Image Sources:
Ginko clutch: etsy.com, Lattice clutch: etsy.com, Pink Peony clutch: etsy.com, Pink Poppies clutch: etsy.com, Black and Yellow clutch: etsy.com, Branch clutch: etsy.com, Forest clutch: etsy.com, Bow clutch: etsy.com, Poppy clutch: etsy.com