One of any fashion lover’s favorite times of year—the arrival of the ginormous September issues of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle—is here at last. When trolling them for sartorial inspiration for the season ahead, you’ll come across page after page of oversize clutches.
These aren’t fussy, structured bags: They’re simple, squishable pouches made of supersoft leather and meant for day. Pop in the usual contents of your handbag, zip it up, tuck it under your arm, and done. There’s something about the simplicity of it that’s very appealing right now.
And you needn’t spend a fortune. The pioneer of the simple, oversized clutch—Los Angeles designer Claire Vivier—has been making them for years, in a generous 11.5-by-17-inch size. While you can find them at several stores, including Neiman Marcus, Vivier’s website has the best selection, in plenty of on-trend hues such as cobalt blue (above).
Best of all, one of them won’t put much of a dent in your (old) pocketbook.
$245 at Claire Vivier, clairevivier.com