Stylish with Substance

Seen on Rihanna, an Olsen and Rachel Bilson...

DO wear your bright accessories with more neutral clothing.

DON'T wear them with equally bright clothing.

DON'T turn 80s by pairing bright with too much black!

Now have fun shopping!

I've finally begun knitting and attempting sewing (the learning process is moving along), so I've actually been more into handmade and indie bags more than the leather designer IT bags. (Hey, I've already got my Chloés and Stam, after all.)

And you know what, even the independent crafty world offers larger-sized clutches for day time, whether the designers follow trends or not. I love the "Chef" shape, pretty flowers and overall quality (I ordered a similar bag) of the Pleated Floral Clutch by Microwave Girl on handcrafters storefront, Etsy.com.

Measuring 16" x 9", this adorable purse is made from vintage upholstery fabric (!!) with a silk flower appliqué and even includes an interior pocket. Buy for only $55 right through Etsy, and you can pay with PayPal!

Chloé Debbie bags' main feature is a large zipper, much like the Bay, but the actual zipper pull closely resembles that from the Edith (last year's IT bag). An equally large feature, yet less prominently unique, is its clip flap closure. (That's also similar to the Edith's buckle flap closure.) The bags all also boast a contrast-colored stripe on the flaps.

Styles on Neiman Marcus .com consist of (1) a shoulder flap satchel with double front zipper pockets, (2) an east/west shoulder tote sans pockets and (3) a divine looking north south hobo with double front pockets (best of them ALL in cream).

Colors are brown, tan, cream and yellow. Prices from $1,120 to $1,130; not bad.

Shop Chloé Debbies on Neiman Marcus .com.

All photos below:

It's cute and sweet. It's classic, yet bold, fresh and young. It's all about the flower-&-stem charm on this Miu Miu Floral Appliqué Shoulder Bag, with stud and gem stones. But there's even more: its yellow hue is lovely for Spring & Summer and strikingly different. It's not even a very large bag, standing nicely against a woman's frame, although at $840, I might like it larger.

Available now at Net-a-Porter.com