Clutch Purse
As more women entered the workforce, the decorative beaded handbags and
more fanciful embroidered or tapestry purses of previous years were
limited to dressy evening events. The clutch
Most clutch purses have a metal hinged clasp or snap closure.
Reproduced by permission of
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purse became the standard for business or daytime activities. The clutch
purse was a small leather or smooth, stiffened cloth purse with a metal
hinged clasp or snap closure. Clutch purses were often neat, flat
rectangles made of a plain color. Leather clutches were most often black
or brown, but cloth purses could be of a color that complemented a
woman's dress. Flat, tailored clutch purses were later replaced
with larger purses, known as satchel purses, which women stuffed with
necessities and slung over their shoulders. Satchel purses became
especially popular during World War II (1939–45), when women needed
to carry more things as they walked or rode public transportation to
conserve gas for the war effort.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Bigelow, Marybelle S.
Fashion in History: Apparel in the Western World.
Minneapolis, MN: Burgess Publishing, 1970.
Payne, Blanche, Geitel Winakor, and Jane Farrell-Beck.
The History of Costume.
2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
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