Tag Archives: designer handbags

A Designer Day with Clutch Bags

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What words come to find when you hear: Clutch Bags NY?

Classic? Classy! Chic!

Terrific? Timeless! Tasteful!

Effortless? Elegant! Essential!

For many months now I have been blogging for Clutchbags.com and I have had such a great time observing and reporting the new and happening things going on about town. Working with Clutch Bags NY has introduced me to a world of strong women who know what they want and know how to get it.

Though I have been able to interview, review, or research a number of smart and successful women and their accomplishments, I have always (secretly) been awaiting the day I could interview the woman who is Clutch Bags NY: Laura Dotolo. Continue reading →

A Little More Clutch Bags

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The time is now, the woman is Laura Dotolo, and the company is Clutch Bags NY. As the acting creative director, Laura Dotolo has set a platform for the promotion of the “Made in USA” movement one handbag at a time. As a patriotic American, Laura understands the economical significance of buying locally as opposed to internationally. In her efforts to keep the American economy stimulated, her handbags are made in a factory in the Garment District of New York City. Not only does this provide jobs for her fellow Americans, it also ensures her clients the production quality she feels they deserve.

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In working for various fashion publications, Laura found that sometimes the popular trends were not what women really wanted over time. So in 2001 she started Clutch Bags NY. Drawing on her classic New England sensibility and inherited Italian aesthetic, Laura created a line of designer handbags with a clean, classic and utilitarian style. According to Laura, “We take functional ideas and make them our own. Our designs will outlast any trend or fad. I like to think these handbags and purses are something women will use for a lifetime.”

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Clutchbags.com offers a range of quality leather American-made handbags and accessories to women around the world. If you were to ask Laura about her dedication to the American-made movement, she would instinctively say that Made in USA is a quality to be proud of that you cannot produce overseas. To spread the word of the Made in USA movement, Laura reaches out to large American companies, like J. Crew, and encourages them to manufacture through her production services in New York City.

 

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About:

Nandhi is our Clutch NY blogger at large who spends her days observing and her nights reporting.  Imported to NYC from Mozambique, via McGill University, Nandhi dreams someday of becoming a screenwriter.  For the moment, she is keeping the Clutch NY audience up to date with what’s up today in fashion, trends, news and inspiration.

Clutch Bags: Handbags of Summer

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“I love accessories. I’m a girl. I love handbags.” -Petra Ecclestone

 

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Summertime in NYC

It’s official: Summer is finally in bloom! But the temperature isn’t the only thing that’s up! For the passed week and a half I have found myself running around, all over NYC. Though my errands take me to different parts of the city, at different times of day, I have been noticing some consistent trends.

The  most consistent trend I have noticed is the use of the Scout Bag from Clutch Bags.  I have seen this spacious satchel on the shoulders of women uptown, downtown, east and west. Because this handbag seemed so popular on the streets of NYC, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So I decided to bring my Clutch Bags NY leather satchel along with me on one of my day of errands. I packed it with the usual suspects: IPod, keys, phone, and wallet. And I was off. Continue reading →

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 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 Q & A: April loves Bags

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This week Clutch Bags NY was lucky enough to spend some time talking with April Dinwoodie. Not only is she a Clutch NY client, she is also a woman with more than one career. April is a successful publicity director and the cofounder of a nonprofit organization called Fostering Change for Children.

Keep reading to find out what motivates April to keep moving forward!

 

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April at home with her Clutch NY mail bag

Why do you like living in NYC? New York is full of diversity. Overall, it has a great vibe. I grew up in Rhode Island which is pretty much just one note. Whereas New York is many notes. So I love it for that reason. What inspires you? Young people who have had tremendous hurdles in life, yet they manage to get themselves out of bed everyday and put a smile on their face. There’s nothing more inspiring to me than that. What gives you hope? More or less the same thing. Seeing someone breakthrough. When a person has something really challenging in front of them, watching them overcome it makes me feel hopeful.  Continue reading →

Clutch Bags Review: The Coin Bag

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Good Morning New York City!

Good Morning New York City!

Ever had those days when you’re forced to wake up insanely early, before the sun has even risen? Maybe you have an early class?  Or a badly scheduled meeting. Whatever it is, you curse the reason as you drag yourself out of your sweet slumber to get ready for the day.

In the morning hours leading up to whatever has made you wake up so early, coffee has never tasted so strong and the sun has never shone as obnoxiously bright. As you stumble out of your apartment, squinting at the morning’s brightness, you see one of them trot passed you. A morning walker.

“Good morning!” She says, smiling. You attempt to muster up a kind greeting but all you can do is smile bumpily and grunt.

What the heck is she doing up so early? Why is she so happy? And I want her legs. I don’t know about you, but these are my usual thoughts during groggy, morning interactions with walkers. Well, at least these were my thoughts three weeks ago.  Continue reading →

Clutch Bags March On

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 Is imagesit just me or is time flying by? It seems like just yesterday I was packing my weekend bag for Winter vacation, wrapping Christmas presents, and drafting my New Year’s resolutions, and now, all of a sudden it’s the sixty-fourth day of 2013! If you, like me, are not totally sure about where all of that time went, use this post as a guideline as to what is memorable about March.

Transitioning from February to March doesn’t only mark a change of climactic and fashion seasons, but also a change of focus. Now, ladies, before you start worrying about updating your wardrobe with this Spring’s latest must-haves, remember that every Clutch Bag is versatile Adeleenough to withstand the trend of any season!

While the month of February celebrated the beauty of humanity’s products–such as fashion, film, and music– through events like The Grammy’s and Fashion Week, March celebrates the beauty of humanity itself. Through a bundle of holidays that commemorate doctors, saints, and women, this month stresses humanity’s most admirable qualities: