What Is A Minaudière Clutch?
Like so much in fashion, minaudière is a French word. (You can hear how to pronounce it here — or, ditch the French, and just call it a statement clutch for simplicity.) A minaudière is a small, structured evening clutch designed to hold the bare minimum. Nowadays, they run the gamut from funky-shaped designs (champagne bottles! a bust?) to their classic sleek box silhouette made from elegant materials. They’ll often be embellished with crystals, pearls, or beads. In short, they’re evening clutches designed to make a statement.
Minaudières were first patented by French jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933. Legend has it that Charles Arpels was inspired after seeing an American socialite pop her belongings into a Lucky Strike metal cigarette case for her evening out. So he got to work creating a stylish version of that tin, with the idea that it could act as a jewelry accessory while still being utilitarian. Traditionally, minaudières didn’t have straps or handles and were meant to be carried in your hand. But a lot of minaudière clutches these days do have a strap option because we’re 21st-century women and we need to be able to use our hands, gosh darn it!
What makes a minaudiere clutch purse glorious is also its downside — it’s insanely inefficient now that we have many more items we need to carry around. Since they’re structured, there is no leeway as to how much you can fit in the purse. There will be no pushing. And unlike large flexible clutches that you can place underneath your arm and hold comfortably against your body to free your hands, the minaudière must be held in your grasp at all times. Otherwise, you risk rigid underarm discomfort. Of course, you can avoid this problem by opting for one with a crossbody strap option, which again, I highly recommend for practicality purposes.
When To Carry A Minaudière Clutch
If you want to sport this miniature box purse, these are the occasions to take advantage…
- A party at your own home: Stick your phone in it and call it a day. You don’t need money or identification, and any other items you need, like lipstick, are nearby.
- A party at a close friend’s home: You know where everything is and feel comfortable borrowing a brush and such. You can leave superfluous items at home.
- A date with space: Whether you’re out with a girlfriend with a bigger purse or a gentleman caller with pockets, these trusted companions will care enough to take on the items that your minaudière cannot.
- Low maintenance evening: Your date or housemate has the keys, so you don’t need to carry them. Your lips don’t get dry or you have applied crazy long-lasting lipstick and don’t plan on eating, so you don’t need lip tools. Your hair is up, so you don’t need a brush. You are not driving and you are wrinkly enough that no one asks for your identification any longer, so you can skip the ID. Your allergies are under control, eliminating the need for a tissue. You have enough business, so you can skip the business cards. You are out with a pushy wealthy person who doesn’t allow you to pay for a thing, so you don’t need money. At this point you are literally free of the need for a purse, so why not stick a good luck charm or a band-aid in your minaudière and enjoy your lightweight evening.
- New Year’s Eve! A minaudière is a fabulous idea to spice up an NYE outfit. It can make a simple black dress outfit look avant-garde. Just make sure your NYE plans fall into one of the other four categories above so you’re not left wanting more space.
Best Minaudières & Statement Clutches Right Now
Below are some of my favorite minaudières I’ve come across recently. You’ll notice a few of these don’t quite meet the traditional definition of a minaudière because they have straps or the body is made from a somewhat flexible material. But they were simply too fabulous of statement clutches to not include on this list!
Urban Expressions Emerald Myla Minaudière Purse
Available at Tuckernuck.
Material: acrylic, fabric lined
Cult Gaia Ela Minaudière Clutch
Available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Cult Gaia.
Material: 100% acrylic
Judith Leiber Couture Cheers Champagne Bottle Crystal Minaudière
Available at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
Material: interior, metallic leather lining; Austrian crystals
Alexis Bittar The Crumple Convertible Metallic Leather Crossbody Bag
Available at Neiman Marcus and Alexis Bittar.
Material: body: genuine leather, lining: microsuede blend, hardware: 14k gold plated brass
Cult Gaia Bess Caged Embellished Box Shoulder Bag
Available at Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Bergdorf Goodman, Farfetch, and Cult Gaia.
Material: unlined crystal embellished plastic with acrylic trim
Banana Republic Mini Riviera Metallic Leather Clutch
Available at Banana Republic.
Material: 100% leather
Cult Gaia Hera Nano Pearly Shoulder Bag
Available at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, and Cult Gaia.
Material: 100% plastic; trim: 100% polyester
Alexis Bittar Molten Ring Bullet Leather Minaudière Clutch Bag
Available at Neiman Marcus.
Material: faux leather lining
olga berg Carmella Metallic Foil Box Clutch
Available at Revolve.
Material: acrylic and metallic foil
Cult Gaia Nala Mini Pleated Metallic Clutch Bag
Available at Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Bergdorf Goodman, Farfetch, and Cult Gaia.
Material:body: 100% cow leather; lining: 90% polyester, 10% polyurethane
