Local Love: Vivier & Bentley

Clutches are my favorite style of handbag/purse to carry. And the more colorful the clutch, the better. When researching my next clutch purchase I found local LA designer Clare Vivier. In love with their wide array of colors available, simplicity of aesthetic, and made in LA appeal, I knew a Vivier clutch would be perfect. We visited the Vivier & Bentley boutique last Saturday to pick up something special.

Located off Sunset in Silver Lake, Vivier and Bentley is a small storefront with the designers' studio in the back. The boutique houses Vivier bags and accessories, Bentley jewelry, and a few curated items. Browsing through the space is a beautiful experience of classic items.












Flat clutches, fold over clutches, and oversize clutches. I spent a while fawning over the beautiful leather of each style.




Our shoes and their painted floor.


Hooray for local made and remade! I love supporting local independent designers. Not only does it strengthen their brand, it strengthens their community.


Forest green wallet and electric blue flat clutch. I'm excited to carry these around and hope to purchase more in other colors.

What is your favorite style of purse? Do you have a favorite local shop?


Local Love is a new weekly series I'm working on. LL post will hold local finds, locally made goods, local foods, local owned shops. It will focus on the Santa Barbara area and also a bit of LA and Portland.

Just hold me close to you: Wedding Clutch

I am obsessed with purses. From high school onwards many have rested on my shoulder, hung around my wrist, been clutched by my hand, or nestled on my arm like a football player holds a ball while running. Hand bags, totes, satchels, hobos, clutches. You name it, I've carried it. And in the recent years, job situations allowed me a more open range of brands to choose from.

Seasons saw new purses, ones I would use diligently for months and months and now store in dust bags in the closet. My collection reached the upper echelons of consumer waste, so I have donated the majority, holding on to the few classics which are timeless. Because I am a bag lady, the search for the ever important (yet not always necessary) wedding clutch has been one of my favorites. There are shoe brides, veil brides, dress brides, and I am a purse bride.

The collection at it's most obscene.

The wedding clutch could not be any old clutch. It had to speak to me, like all my previously purchased purses do. It had to complement my wedding dress, fit into my wedding colors, have some fun emblem or flourish or design, and be something I can use after the wedding. Size and carry-ability didn't matter to me all that much, since I'm very much accustomed to holding an sized clutch for long periods of time. And even if it seems weird for a bride to carry a clutch for longer periods of time, it wouldn't be me if I didn't have a purse or clutch or anything. My purse is an extension of myself.

The search wasn't too hard. I combed websites (shopbop, nordstrom, jcrew, eluxury, saks) for months, but it didn't seem like work since I enjoy web window shopping. There were many contenders and designers, many beautiful pieces, but once I saw it, I knew.

Here are a few of the contenders:

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Marc Jacobs is always a contender. I would totally work my entire wedding around the design of the above purse.

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Love the flower print on this Red Ruby Rose clutch. It's also got clean lines but not as dressy as I pictured.

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JCrew's Soiree clutch with fun ruffles made the definitely maybe list. It comes in various colors so it could also make a great bridesmaid gift.

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The colors and leopard print of this Lauren Merkin clutch add so much fun and style. It is just a bit too busy for my dress.

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Diane Von Furstenberg Philomena clutch is so divine. It's shiny and edgy and fancy and fab. But a bit out of the price range.

And now may I introduce you to my lovely wedding clutch.

J.Crew silk satin fiore clutch in citron. A clutch with a bright yellows to match our colors, a nice sheen to dress up an outfit, and a bundle of flowers to add texture and whimsy.

I am in love with the flower details.

And how it can photograph as really yellow to an almost yellow green.

It's simple yet memorable, has great embellishments and goes with my dress, can be dressed up and dressed down. It's love :)

I would also like to reserve the right to be a two clutch bride, because really, there could be another clutch between now and September that tickles my fancy ;)

How did you decide on your wedding clutch? Do you have a certain wedding accessory you must have?

Blog title is from lyrics by Dashboard Confessional