I know there are people out there who used to hate it (and probably they still do…), but I confess I had a fascination with it. I’m talking about the magazine clutch, an item that was all the rage when I was a little girl. I desperately loved this bag. My mum and two of my aunts had one magazine clutch each, one with a French magazine cover, two with covers of Italian publications. All of them had a simple snap closure and they were worn at any time of the day, in the morning to go to the beach or to work, or in the late afternoon/evening to go out. In a nutshell this was the sort of perfect bag for any occasion as it could dress up or down an outfit. The only problem my mum and aunts had with their bags was that every single time they picked them up to go out, I would trot after them and beg them to let me hold my object of desire.
Why was this bag so wonderful to me? Because it summarised all my personal childhood obsessions: it was made in plastic and I loved all plastic things, from Barbies to jewellery (though I must admit I was also fascinated by accessories made out of cork, from clutches to cork heeled shoes or wedges), it showed a colourful magazine and I loved to leaf through mags for grown ups, especially women’s magazines and it was bought at a local bag shop I was crazy for.
I still have two of these legendary rolled magazine purses and I admit I don’t wear them a lot as I’m scared I might damage them (you see, I still have a special reverential adoration for these bags…): 
one of the clutches features a Jours de France cover (the French magazine that belonged to Marcel Dassault between 1960 and 1970), the other has an Amica cover (this used to be a cool women’s magazines between the ‘70s and the ‘80s, but it went all wrong in more recent years turning into a third rate publication). The former portrays a typical ‘70s couple, both dressed in white. The man is wearing a pair of trousers and a logo sweatshirt with a collar and elastic hem; the woman’s outfit is accessorised with a knitted cotton hat and a pair sunglasses hanging from her shirt. The colours of this bag were rather muted and it was therefore perfect for more formal occasions (my aunt wore it at a few weddings).
The Amica bag shows a typical summery cover and features a model with perfect juicy lips wearing a white linen shirt, a yellow cap and white framed sunglasses. There was a bit of a problem with these bags: their hard shell would crease very easily, especially if you used them a lot as it happened in the case of my mum and aunt’s clutches.
The magazine clutch bags are still popular: you can often find them on eBay, but there are also quite a few vintage retailers that seem to have rarer versions of these bags such as Breeke’s clutches. This company had exclusive license to feature Saturday Evening Post covers on their handbags.
Jimmy Choo recently reissued a limited edition of this legendary bag in bakelite featuring a selection of paintings of women’s close-ups by artist Richard Phillips. 
I’m sorry for Jimmy Choo, but despite this bag being colourful and hip, in my opinion it hasn’t got an inch of the desirability of my vintage magazine clutches.
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