Lauren Merkin Diana Metallic Bubble Clutch

I’m always a bit reticent to use superlatives when I talk about bags. Not only does arbitrarily proclaiming things to be the “best” or “worst” or “weirdest” seem a bit disingenuous and histrionic, but it’s also rarely true. There are thousands upon thousands of handbags out there in the world, and it’s pretty much impossible to find any particular one that beats every last one of them in any specific way. Yet, my first reaction when I saw the Lauren Merkin Diana Metallic Bubble Clutch was, “Wow, this is the best clutch I’ve seen in a long time, particularly for the price.”

And despite the use of the superlative, I stand behind that initial reaction. The clutch really is beautiful; the texture of the leather combined with the dark gunmetal color sort of reminds me of asphalt shining in the sun after a hard rain (and I mean that in the absolute best way possible). It’s not overly bling-y or glam, but it has a subtle elegance to it while maintaining a bitch of the edge, probably because of the shade of silver used. Pewter or gunmetal are my favorite color to wear in a clutch since they’re seasonless and go with virtually everything, and this unique texture and low price point just can’t be beat. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $195.