THE TOUT-PARIS CLUTCH
Reissued from one of Germaine Guérin’s archival designs, the Tout-Paris is an ideal clutch for both day and evening wear.
Some variations of the Tout-Paris
Claude and Georges Pompidou, 1967 © GettyImages
The art of the clutch
Since its creation in 1921, Germaine Guérin has designed and crafted a wide range of clutches. Originally used as a handbag throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the clutch gradually became an accessory associated with evening wear.
After the Second World War, with the rise of leather handbags featuring leather handles or chains, the clutch became an accessory reserved for evenings out at the opera, the theatre or formal dinners.
Germaine Guérin then became renowned for its evening clutches, crafted in a wide variety of materials united by one common trait: they were always fabrics. In eveningwear etiquette, leather was set aside in favour of velvet, brocade, satin or faille, most often silk.
Polka for piano, C. Berthaud, 1906 © BNF Gallica
Tout-Paris
The expression “le Tout-Paris” refers to the circle of prominent literary, artistic, financial, political and other figures whose renown leads them to attend and be featured in the capital’s social events.
What could be more relevant for a clutch historically carried by some of the most influential women, from Claude Pompidou to Marella Agnelli and Annette Reed de la Renta, than to bear the name “Tout-Paris”.
Volutes
Since its beginnings, Paris has been the muse of Germaine Guérin. In the 1940s, the first Volutes were born, directly inspired by the wrought iron ornaments that adorn the balconies and railings of Haussmannian buildings. Spirals, curves, counter-spirals, and arabesques dance across the façades of the City of Light, true signatures of an architecture designed down to the finest detail.
It was by observing one of these treasures, the gate at 243, rue Saint-Honoré, now lost, that the House found the inspiration for its emblematic motif. These Volutes, which became a symbol, were soon transformed into gold-plated brass jewelry that would adorn bags and clutches: elegant lines drawn with a free, almost calligraphic gesture.
beautiful by day and by night
In the 1960s, the decade in which this Germaine Guérin model was created, the rules of elegance were clear: in the evening, leather was not worn, only fabrics. Today, those codes have evolved, and the Tout-Paris clutch is now available in both calfskin and cotton velvet.
For those who would nevertheless like to adhere to the elegance codes of the time, we can only recommend choosing the calfskin version for daytime wear and the cotton velvet version for the evening.
Tout-Paris clutch in silk velvet, c. 1963
The reinvented Envelope
The “Tout-Paris” clutch is defined by its distinctive flap shape and its turned-edge assembly with piping, which create an envelope-like silhouette, a classic clutch form, here reinterpreted in a timeless version that feels as relevant today as it did in the past.
