I was absolutely devastated last week when I was forced to cancel my holiday to Crete due to a reoccurrence of my dreaded eye condition.  I thought it was bad enough when I had to miss out on my friend’s hen do in Brighton which included a belly dancing lesson; but never did I imagine it not to clear up in time for holiday and the doctor to advise me not to go.  I guess I was just hoping against the odds but what else can you do when you have been looking forward to something since January?  Anyway enough about my feelings, my heart really goes out to my special friend and travel companion who I had to let down.  The eye is now thankfully on the mend at long last after over 2 weeks of it and summer seems to have at last found Kent but it is no substitute for what was going to be the holiday of a lifetime.

Now in an attempt to distract myself from the fact that I am stuck at home, I thought I would write about my latest obsession with clutch bags.  It was only when I was packing in preparation for my trip that I realised quite how many I had acquired.  I have always been one to squeeze as much as possible into as smaller bag as possible, hence my nickname at school of  Mary Poppins.  Clutch bags for me though are the bag of glamour.  You are after all unlikely to see someone on the red carpet with a large tote.  The dictionary definition of a clutch is ‘A small handbag without a shoulder strap, designed to be held in the hand’.  Many so called clutch bags do generally however have a small thin strap or chain for those moments when you need to carry a cocktail in each hand!

My latest addition to the collection is this Biba one.  Now those of you with a keen knowledge of Biba bags will notice that this is in fact a cosmetic bag as it was the best I could afford even with House of Fraser’s generous discount.  The bag is perfectly ok to use as a clutch though and the casual observer would never guess.

For those of  you who regularly read my blog you will recall the coral sandals I purchased.  I looked everywhere for the perfect bag to compliment them and found this lovely straw clutch in Oasis.  Matching bags with shoes does seem to pose somewhat of a problem at times with not all shops catering for the need.

My favourite clutch currently in my collection is this satin purple one from Aldo, purchased in New York.  I don’t use it as much as I would like however as the colour limits what I can use it with and I am always worried I will put it down on a wet table and ruin the satin.

Some of the more unusual clutch bags around, which were showcased by Carrie in Sex and the City were those designed by Timmy Woods; the Eiffel Tower bag and the telephone bag.  You will also recall a cupcake bag by Judith Leiber which you can see a picture of on my Amsterdam blog.  It’s certainly a good way to make a more subtle fashion statement.

My favourite statement clutch at the moment which is way out of my price range is by Lulu Guinness.

Moving away from clutch bags, I couldn’t resist this nautical bag by Paul’s Boutique; a brand I have not normally entertained but when I saw this bag in Glamour magazine, I just knew I had to have it.

Whilst we are on the subject of defecting from our usual style/brand; being a lady of heels, I rarely spend a lot on flat shoes especially trainer style ones but these Converse’s just called to me and finish off the nautical look perfectly.  A great shoe to slip on to give my long suffering feet a well earned rest!

So now you know, when I am not buying shoes, I am buying clutch bags or sometimes I am simply buying both!  Enjoy the British sun while it lasts!