dinner handbag

For a fun companion on your travels, this messenger bag-style sling is created by Kathiana Quispe in Peru. She crafts the bag from suede in contrasting espresso and golden brown hues. A wool accent panel displays colorful geometric patterns. The front flap of this bag opens with a magnetic snap, revealing a zipper that opens to a lined interior with a zipper pocket on one side.

Artisans from UMBVS Desert Weavers of India craft this cotton sling bag using traditional weaving methods. The eye-catching patterns in black and white and the bag's modest size make it a great everyday carryall. An external zipper compartment is perfect for your keys or cell phone, while the larger main compartment holds the rest of your necessities.

Specializing in leather handbags and accessories, Lima native and apparel designer Patsy Chang creates this refined shoulder bag ideal for a Sunday outing or evening dinner downtown. The bag features an adjustable leather strap, Incan motif wool trim on the leather exterior and a polyester-lined interior closing with a zipper. Studying fashion design and seeing her designs sold in boutiques around Lima gave Patsy the confidence to succeed and thrive in her professional and adult life, after a childhood riddled with bullying, bouncing between Peru and Japan.

Borrowed from the walls of a Mughal palace and miniaturized into something you can actually take to dinner, this evening bag is a riot of hand-painted orange blooms swirling around a lavender medallion center. Mohammad Hussain Baba's design channels centuries of Indian artistry into a rigid silhouette hand-carved from weeping willow wood, built up with papier mache and sealed under a glossy lacquer shell that keeps every petal looking eternally fresh. Tuck the brass-plated chain inside and carry it as a clutch, loop it over your shoulder or let it swing crossbody, depending on your mood, because a bag this bold deserves to be seen from every angle.

Imagine the most intricate Persian carpet ever woven, then imagine it shrunk, lacquered and hung from a golden-hued chain around your shoulder. That is the spirit behind this turquoise evening bag from India, where a dusty rose medallion floats at the center of a dense sea of hand-painted blue florals, all protected by a hard lacquer finish over a weeping willow wood and papier mache body designed by Mohammad Hussain Baba. Wear it crossbody on a long night out, sling the chain over your shoulder for dinner or tuck the brass-plated strap inside entirely and let the clutch do the talking on its own.