etsy vintage: clutches + purses for the bride

{each photo links to its shop}

voila! vintage wedding purses! as requested by reader "better than naked" in a comment.

(i pondered this username for a while this evening. does it mean, better than naked as in "it could be worse, you could be naked?" or [i prefer] something so great it's even *better* than naked? intriguing.)

(and yes, i'm supposed to be doing my taxes. denial, river in egypt, etc.)

redrubyrose: in your clutches

{ blue fern silk-lined clutch }

ohhh. i saw one of redrubyrose's gorgeous bags on the front page of etsy yesterday, and vowed to check in on her shop... so, *so* pretty. rowena carefully gift-wraps and ships each clutch in a handmade box from bristol, UK (only $6.50 to ship to the u.s.!), and she can add a personal message for you to the gift tag... for you early holiday shoppers, mine can read... no, just kidding. not really.

i *heart* these. the shop announcement says she loves custom orders: you could check in and see if she could make multiples for you...





more at redrubyrose.etsy.com

pacoandlupe: no sleep til brooklyn

{ new york weekend bag }

hello all! as you can see, the angry rottweilers are housesitting again -- in the meantime, a little love from nyc.

will write more on pacoandlupe once back home, promise!

moop: great bags

market bag in grey corduroy

this is tangential, ladies, bear with me: i LOVE this bag.
i love it so much i couldn't decide whether to get it in sage canvas,
or grey fine-wale corduroy... summer? winter? summer?...
then wendy of moop began making it in a phenomenal brick orangey-red.


oh, yes. yes please. so much temptation in the world!

my new burnt-red *arrived* today, and it is everything i hoped. a much subtler color than the photos suggest. and as with the umbrellas, it is mind-blowing to me that someone knows how to make this from scratch, by hand. i love it.

how do these bags relate to weddings, you ask? well... ok, they don't.
although some women use them as hip diaper bags, but that's a totally different blog. speaking of, the moopshop blog is pretty darn cool as well. like figsandginger, here's a creative partnership that works and is worth celebrating. viva la moop!



more at moopshop.etsy.com

cipolla: hand-sewn treats

the three-way: wristlet, handbag, clutch

you naughty thing. if we could find *that* sort of three-way on etsy they'd call it craigslist.

so much in this toronto-based shop could be made in sets for unusual gifts (for self or others) -- clutches, scarves, totes -- worth coaxing marina the cipollamistress to sew a few of a kind. cipolla also makes gift sets *and* you can have them gift wrapped and ready to go:


gift set duo: caramel floral clutch and eyeglass case

if that fails, give a gift certificate for something handmade with love. more at cipolla.etsy.com

sweetToriginal: handmade bags

1979 make-up bag

habanera I make-up bag

cute bridal party gifts, no? satin-lined marimekko fabric bags, make-up totes and wristlets (check out the sweet antoinette) -- sweetToriginal in NYC welcomes special requests and can produce these in sets for your ladies. even better -- each comes with free lip gloss. more at sweetToriginal.etsy.com

madisongre: bridal clutch

blanca bridal champagne rose clutch

part of me thinks clutches are silly -- won't someone carry your giant honking regular bag with waterproof mascaras, lipsticks, camera, tissues, etc. etc. *for* you on your big day? don't you get minions (i mean! bridesmaids!) for this sort of thing? but there's something so ladylike about this one, and it's got a little wristy thing, and the big flower is a brooch so you can move it to the other side or remove it as you see fit. plus madisongre donates a percentage of sales to local (california) animal shelters and the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation. nice. now if they'd only correct one little thing: champagne, champagne, please. more at madisongre.etsy.com

charleystar: wedding tote

wedding canvas tote bag

sweet little hand silkscreened totes -- i confess, when i first saw this i thought, awww. the q-tips are in love. but the more i look at it, the more i find to like -- a basic workaday bag with a million uses. and the mood is just right: just a simple, silly smile and holding hands. what better? see charleystar.etsy.com