History of the Evening Clutch Bag
Humans need to carry things, so bags have been around for centuries. The first documented bags were crude affairs indeed, made of leather with a drawstring top. Over time, handbags became fashion accessories and different styles gained and declined in popularity. There are some fashions, though, that become “classics” and are popular regardless of what else is trendy at the moment. The evening clutch bag is one such item, and it is a long way from those original, crude, drawstring bags.
Near the end of the 17th century, in Paris, fashionable folk began carrying reticules, or small bags that were designed to either hang from the waist or wrist. The reticule was the first genesis of the evening clutch bag. They were small, just large enough to carry essential toilet items, and also made of materials such as velvet or silk. Reticules were beaded, embroidered, tasseled and decorated in just about every way imaginable.
Sometimes style dictated that the bag coordinate with the wearer’s outfit, and at other times it was deemed fashionable for the bag to stand out from, or even clash with, the wearer’s other clothes. In the early part of the 19th century, though, the small evening bag began to resemble what we now recognize as the evening clutch bag more closely. At that time, it was considered important for the bag to match the outfit.
Before mass manufacturing was common, most ladies made their own hand bags, or had them made. The people who carried them were wealthy enough to afford the fine materials, beautiful beads and delicate lace that were used to make and decorate them. It wasn’t until later in the 19th century that nice handbags were available at prices reasonable enough that most women could afford them.
During the 1930s evening bags were designed in envelope or pouch styles and were elegant. Clasps were jeweled, bags were made of lovely materials from suede to silk. Attention was also given to the inside of the bags and they were lined and had compartments and space for everything a lady might need to carry on a night out.
The rise and fall of the handbag is related to current clothing styles. When looser, baggier clothes that allow for pockets are in style, handbags are less necessary. When more form-fitting slimmer styles are popular, so are handbags. This relationship may explain why the evening clutch bag is a classic style that has remained popular through the decades. Evening dress for women usually does not include room for pockets.
Although the clutch has remained a staple of evening wear since the beginning of the 19th century, its popularity as a trendy fashion accessory has come and gone. During the 1980s the clutch reached new heights in popularity, partly thanks to various television shows and partly thanks to fashions of the time. As always, the fashion faded over the next decade, but is now enjoying a resurgence popularity.