Tag Archives: Clutch Bags

Clutch Bags Review: The Pencil Bag

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There are many things that I feel I cannot live without: my cell phone, my IPod, and my denim Pencil Bag from Clutch Bags NY.I like to think of this little cutie as an inverted mullet–party on the outside, business on the inside. Like I mentioned before, the bag is denim (party on the outside). This is the kind of denim that you usually see in the form of great quality jeans like Lucky Brand or True Religion. Another aesthetically pleasing element of this little hand bag is how its beautiful blue denim is contrasted with its leathery, deep brown lining. This leathery, deep brown color is also used on the inside of the bag (business on the inside). The Pencil Bag’s smooth, leather pockets make it easy to slide cards and cash in and out without a fuss. Continue reading →

Clutch Bags Mermaid Moments

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 “The wisdom acquired with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it.” Esther Williams

    If we could all just feel as natural in our skin as the late athletically gorgeous movie star, Esther Williams; quite possibly then, success would flow causally with us throughout our lives.

Maybe it was her smile,  or her sureness of her abilities and capabilities. Perhaps it was her hard work and fortitude, changing her game plan as her gold medal dreams translated into Hollywood gold; her gold sequined one piece bathing suit with the metal crown that ultimately broke her back during a 50 foot dive.  Or it could have been the tenaciousness of her bouncing back after four marriages, and seven broken eardrums.  She looked great, took care of herself, followed her dreams and navigated her career with her talents at the helm. She never allowed her broken marriages, or broken bank accounts to take her down.  She moved ahead, rebounding with swimsuits and swimming pools.  A success, surely, professionally and personally.

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Clutch Bags Q & A with Mrs. American Made

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Ana Bogusky (AKA Mrs. American Made) sporting the Clutch NY Pencil Bag

This week Clutch Bags NY was lucky enough to spend some time talking with Ana Bogusky. Some of you might know her as Mrs. American Made.  For years now, she has invested in buying clothes that are only made in the USA. So keep reading to find out how and why she joined this movement!

Why are “Made in USA” brands so important to you? In 2006, our family moved from Miami, Florida, to Boulder, Colorado, and our lives changed in many ways. We started becoming more aware of the environment, we started eating more carefully, we started caring about sustainability. So I began reading labels on food packaging and joined a CSA and bought more local. As a natural progression “Made in USA” became important to me. Locally grown. Made in America. Those are the brands that guarantee the things we buy are made to the standards in the safe and clean manufacturing that we believe in. So now I am reading labels on my clothes and so many pieces are made in China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, etc. Today, only 2% of the clothing sold here is made here. In 1960, 95% of clothing sold in the United States was made in the United States. And it turns out that if consumers spent just an extra 1% on U.S. goods, it would create 200,000 jobs. It seems like a simple choice to me now.        Continue reading →

Clutch Bags Look: 100% American Made

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CLUTCH AMERICAN LOOK“Made in the USA; it’s something I am proud of and it’s a quality that you cannot get in China. Please join me in the effort to show America that there is nothing so expensive as a cheap bag or purse that does not stand the test of time.          –Laura Dotolo

Notice anything different about this Clutch Look? All of these items are 100% made in the USA! This Made in America look is inspired by a woman named Ana Bogusky. Some of you might know her as Mrs. American Made.  For years now, Mrs. American Made has invested in buying clothes that are American-made. So keep reading to see what all the hype is  with “Made in USA” clothing! Continue reading →

Clutch Bags Review: The Lunch Bag

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Lunch Bag in many colors

Lunch Bag in many colors

       A Show of Hands for the Lunch Bag

I use my hands a lot.  If I’m telling a story, I like to use my hands to describe the height of the heels I just purchased off Gilt.com.  If I’m dancing and start to feel a bit tired, I move my hands to the beat of the music to create the impression that I’m still dancing with high energy. And if someone asks me a difficult question, I rub my chin or scratch my head because it usually distracts the questioner and buys me more time to think. Needless to say, I’m pretty hands-on.  Continue reading →

Clutch Bags: Made in USA

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                                                  An American Factory

“I remember a great America where we made everything. There was a time when the only thing you got from Japan was a really bad cheap transistor radio that some aunt gave you for Christmas.” –Cher

The time when America made everything is, for most, a distant memory, and for some, it is an inexperienced history. For years, clothing, electronics, and other products have been branded with the words Made in China.  Though many American companies pride themselves on producing American products, the reality is that the production of these American ideas is really taking place in other countries—like China.  A prime example of this is the Ford Motors Company.  It is an American automobile company that promotes itself as the Great American Auto Manufacturer. However, many of its product parts are made in China, France, and Mexico and only assembled in the United States.  Continue reading →

Clutch Bags: Ode to the Prowess of a Lady

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Margaret Thatcher, Prowess of a Lady

Margaret Thatcher, Prowess of a Lady

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

                                                                             -Margaret Thatcher

Lady leadership has been so scarce in our lifetime. However, the ladies that have been triumphant in history have a legacy that lives forever.  How fortunate we are that our lives have  intersected that of the great Lady Leader Margaret Thatcher.

As a young woman alive on this planet during the election and leadership of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, I have been personally influenced by her role as a powerful political female figurehead.  It has been her undeniable strength as a woman that has effected me most.  A woman who commanded the respect of a leader, consistently possessed the dignity and prowess of a lady.  The positive female role that Margaret Thatcher exuded during her lifetime will forever be ingrained in the navigational skills of leadership that I use to build Clutch Bags NY into a strong Made in USA brand of handbags that I believe in.  Mrs. Thatcher taught me to stand firm for what you believe in, and set a path that is your own.

“Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” — Margaret Thatcher

With great respect and gratitude-

Laura Dotolo

Clutch Bags NY

Clutch Bags Q & A: Maria Beauty

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Clutch Bags NY was lucky enough this week to spend some time talking with Maria De Los Angeles,  a Clutch NY client who happens to be a very successful and inspirational NYC hairstylist.

Keep reading to find out how Maria went from a conformable Catholic schoolgirl to a strong and resilient businesswoman!

Screen Shot 2013-03-29 at 5.43.16 PMWhat does your profession mean to you? I’m a hairstylist and I see it as an art form. The hair is a blank canvas and the face is the structure, so I blend them together. But I don’t just do hair, I care about the people I work with. I care about those people out there. They’re my people. How did you know this was the career path  for you? I knew that I loved structure, I loved clothes, art, and I loved nature. What was your first job? My career started in the fashion business. I worked for Norma Kamali for eight years, from 1981 to about 1989-ish. And I started as an intern. I worked for free and then she hired me.

Where did you grow up? I lived in the South Bronx. I was born in 1963, so during that time it was a very working-class-neighborhood, very Catholic school, very uniform. What were you like when you were younger? I grew up in a family of five. And it’s interesting, because I grew up tending to be the peacemaker in the family and a little more submissive. You know, you want to be a good kid. Who was your first mentor? Continue reading →

Clutch Bags Full Spring Ahead

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It’s official, Spring has sprung! Though the degrees haven’t been too high and we haven’t been feeling the Spring sultriness, New York has experienced other noticeable differences. The arrival of the vernal equinox has brought a wave of freshness in styles and sources of inspiration.

Screen Shot 2013-03-25 at 3.15.12 PMEven though the night might be chilly, the majestic mornings are always something to look forward to. With the sun shining brightly through unclouded blue skies, waking up has never been so easy. Though New York is the city that doesn’t sleep, it does need it’s revitalization–and it seems like that’s exactly what came with the arrival of Spring. The streets of New York have been decorated with pops of color in the form of accessories, like chunky scarves, handbags, and hats. There has also been a subtle shift in footwear. People have kicked off their snow boots and tall boots, and whipped out their booties and sabrinas!

OSpring-Bike-Riderf the many side effects brought by the changing of seasons, Clutch NY’s favorite side effect is the transitioning of wardrobes. Continue reading →

Clutch Bags: “Then” is the New “Now”

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Lately,  Hollywood seems to be giving off a sense of nostalgia for the cinematic Golden Age. This was a time when movies moved out of the realm of black and white, silent images to technicolor talking pictures. Hollywood expresses this nostalgia through the gowns that grace the Red Carpet, through the recent releases of 20th-Century-movie-remakes, and through movies that portray the lives of some of the Golden Age’s most influential people.

Screen Shot 2013-03-15 at 11.03.01 AMIf you look back at the Oscar’s 2013 Red Carpet, you’ll see how Anne Hathaway channels Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 Academy Awards look. Anne, like Audrey, is wearing a pale-colored, chest-concealing gown. Though Anne’s hair was short because of her role in Les Miserables, she chose to brush her bangs in front of her forehead, the same way Audrey did. To top off the look, Anne decorated her neck in a Tiffany & Co. necklace. Personally, I thought the look was good for Anne and I felt that she expressed an appreciation for a time (and a person) that deeply affected film history. Continue reading →