Seeing red

It's countdown time to christmas day and time is running out! There's still time to pick up one of these beautifully festive clutch bags though. Each one is made from a vibrant red or orange fabric with a flash of metallic gold to really celebrate the season.

The clutch bag below is made from a vintage Japanese obi fabric and has a bright red cotton lining.

The clutch bag below is made from a modern cotton fabric with a stylised chrysanthemum design.

The clutch bag below is also made from a vintage Japanese obi fabric.

It has a stunning turquoise lining.

Some metallics to add to the mix

In my last post I mentioned the work of Roksanda. I love her use of colour but I also love her use of geometric shapes. I've recently created my own geometric clutch bags as a nod to her work, using vintage Japanese obi fabrics. Each one has a flash of metallic, or in some cases, more than a flash!  In fact they are quite blingy. But what a fab statement piece and quite a nice accompaniment to a little black dress.

The obi is the belt that goes around a Japanese kimono and they come in many different sizes and designs. A lot of them are perfect for bag-making as they are quite thick and keep their shape well. I love the way that Japanese women use their obis, often mixing them with very contrasting kimonos to create a stunning effect. The obi can also be tied in many different ways. I had my own experience of trying on an obi when I lived in Japan and you can read about it here.

I'm now trying to decide whether to list these bags on my store, or whether to save them for the International Bazaar which I'll be selling at in November at the Tokyo American Club in Tokyo. Decisions, decisions!