Two handbags are better than one, or so they say. Â And who says this? Â Well, we do, your professional handbag team at Clutch NY. Â We have been taking careful notes on what we see trending on the streets and subways in New York City, and what we see is a woman in defiant demand of two handbags a day. Continue reading
“I love accessories. I’m a girl. I love handbags.” -Petra Ecclestone
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
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
Lunch Bag in many colors
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
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
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!
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 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!
What 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
Cool Moms
Oh, Mothers, Mothers everywhere! Â How we do love you and what you wear!
Oh, yes, how true it is.  I believe this to be the perfect time of year for us at Clutch Bags NY to pay tribute to your mom and give her credit for what she has shared with you in terms of traditions, manners and fashion.  Have you ever thought about where your taste or sense of fashion has sprung from?  Or who has influenced it?  Have you ever thought about why you like to wear, look or touch certain handbags or fabrics?  Quite possibly, your fashion sensibility has been influenced by your mother.  Remember  when you were just a wee one and you were not able to even dress yourself?  Who dressed you?  And then, when you were able to pick out certain items of clothing to put on and decided that you could dress yourself at the age of 3, who was there to guide you?  Hands down, it was most likely your mom.  Whether you were watching her coordinate her shoes to her handbag, or helping her find the right earrings for the dress, you were in the vicinity to be influenced by her taste and her style.
Now, some of you I am sure are cringing, thinking that you cannot possibly have been influenced by your mom’s polyester pantsuits or yellow go-go boots. Â Continue reading
Great new video by Clutch Bags NY featured photographer and videographer Demetrius Fordham. Demetrius was instumental in helping us capture on film all of the great street scenes showing off all our collection of Designer Handbags and purses and all things clutch bags. What he also brings is such a great sense of street style that our readers have come to expect from our blog showing off all the latest trends being worn on the streets of New York.
