Fashion Handbags & Clutches

Kyoto, a wedding, a length of heavy silk tied at the waist. Handbags, clutches and totes are made in Japanese obi silk, leather and printed canvas. The obi, the wide sash worn with a kimono, was woven in silk brocade, often with gold thread and motifs of cranes, waves, chrysanthemums and clouds; cut down and lined, a length of old obi becomes a clutch with all the weight and shimmer of the original cloth. Totes with interior pouches, the Start the Evolution bags and playful pieces such as the bunny bag cover the everyday. On a hall console or hung in a dressing room, an obi clutch reads as a small textile panel as much as an accessory. It holds keys, and a century of craft.