A Clutch Moment

12 of the very best American Made clutches

For the few years I've been trying to get better about not overloading my purses with too much stuff. But I think as we can all admit, that's harder to do than it sounds. Yes, there are times when I find 5 different tubes of chapstick in one bag and then there are the days where I can't find my car keys because they're stuffed in the pocket of a bag that I forgot I used.

A little over a year ago I started keeping my absolute essentials (wallet, keys, chapstick, concealer, Altoids, hand moisturizer, travel tissues, etc.) in a leather dopp kit. It's made moving from one bag to another really easy. Especially going from a work day to a night. Let's face it, my company issued laptop bag is not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but that sucker holds everything I need it to plus a pair of heels. However, the nanosecond I get to a car and can ditch it the better because the bag is so heavy it might be a contributing factor to some of my back problems. Okay fine, it's not the bag, it's what I put in it!

My little dopp kit bag wasn't really cutting it on its own as a clutch. It's gotten pretty beat up and it's not a fun color. Yet, it still does the job for helping me stay organized.

A few weeks ago my hubs and I had dinner plans with friends immediately after work. That meant straight from the train, to a car, to the restaurant. Instead of using my dopp kit as a clutch I put my essentials, plus a lipstick, in my new Clare V fold over clutch and I seamlessly transitioned from work to night. Added bonus, the hubs bought me the clutch for Christmas and he was pumped I actually liked it. Duh, I love it! And it's a clutch made in the USA!

I'm kind of dropping not-so-subtle hints for another clutch for my birthday later this month. I know keeping essentials in a clutch isn't ground breaking by any means, but if this is your standard operating procedure - what types of clutches work best for you? Do leather clutches scratch easier with all the jostling? Really, is this an excuse to get that leopoard one that everyone seems to have? I'd be okay with that!