"I want to personally own all of the bags they make."

I should call this post “the Amy Rutherford bag post.” It has been years, and I mean years, in the making. Amy has long asked me to carry a line called Clare V. I tried to hunt it down per her initial request, but I couldn’t seem to get anyone to respond, so I threw in the towel.Then I walked into a showroom for another line called DONNI last year and there it was -- rows and rows of the softest leathers and suede with the Clare V signature stripes. I quickly put together an order, asked how quickly we could get it, and emailed Amy to let her know I was finally getting the line! Of course the line just isn’t striped. There are animal prints and tonal pieces and, one of my favorites, snake print.Then a few months back Amy texted me again about another line of striped bag perfection called Parker Thatch. I clicked on their Instagram account and my newest fashion obsession began. The owner of Parker Thatch, Irene Chen (her husband is her business partner as well) is on her IG stories almost every day and her outfits are amazing. I wake up now every morning and think “what would Irene wear?” and that’s one of the highest compliments I can pay a designer. She is the master of mixing prints and her style is that California ease and elegance that I aspire to capture here on the East Coast. And, oh yes, and I love all her bags.There are so many similarities with the two lines -- yes, they feature stripes -- but it doesn’t stop there. 

1) They are both all handmade in California.

2) The are both small companies owned and operated by the designer.

3) The pieces are timeless and the quality is top shelf.

4) I want to personally own all of the bags they make.

 It’s a good thing I don’t have a big enough budget or house to own all the bags these two lines produce or else I would. But you can own one or two! So stop in and check out Claire V and Parker Thatch! And swing by to see Amy at Penny Post or Red Barn Mercantile to thank her for tipping me to them!