TREND FACTOR DEFINED: Box Clutches!

If it’s one thing you can’t carry to a party it’s your big bulky over sized hobo bag, especially during the holidays, and so in the grand tradition of this holiday party season it’s time to toss the totes and carry the clutch. It may seem impossible to fit everything you need into these little compact cases but with a little bit of luck and the willpower to downsize you’ll get the hang of it before the season is over. It’s just too bad we can’t all be witches and cast spells like Emma Watson in Harry Potter to make our purses all Mary Poppins like.

No matter how dainty this clutch may look the signature Alexander McQueen skull on the (1) Nude Studded Brittannia Clutch give this elegant piece at little intriguing edge. If you’re going to be rocking LBD’s everywhere you go this season you might as well have a bag that packs enough color to make up for it, as does the DVF (2) Lytton Love Knot small clutch with it’s tribal print mixture of black, white, yellow, green, pink, and orange. If it’s one time of the year when everyone can pull off as much glitz as possible it’s now, the (3) Lulu Townsend Glitz Glam Clutch packs the kind over the top sparkle that offsets fireworks, sparklers and whatever else that’s glittering come New Years. Bottega Veneta is an all-time fave luxe label, and the funky color of the(4) Lagoon Knot Sfrangiato Leather Clutch will look perfect with bright funky colors, as well as understated neutrals. (5) Sondra Roberts’ Lace Flower Minaudiere is too cute for words, the delicate lace shell makes this piece the most precious purse we’ll carry all season.

Box clutches are going to be almost compulsory in coming months, so I've picked out a few of the most striking I've seen, at prices to suit all budgets.

This is a trend I'm still a little wary of, as I like my luggage soft and squishable. But hard edges are in, and it's definitely time to adapt! And hard bags do have their advantages: they protect fragile, easily damaged items like makeup and gadgets, they don't tear, they keep their shape indefinitely and they cope much better than all-fabric bags in the rain - a subject very close to my heart after last night's downpour! So let's hear it for box clutches.