Handbags

Item Description

Here's your chance to own a coveted Olympia Le-Tan book clutch before it premieres next spring. Adored by literary-loving starlets and fashion insiders everywhere, these much sought-after handbags are perenially sold-out at Net-A-Porter, Opening Ceremony, and elsewhere. 

French designer Olympia Le-Tan's artisanal collection of handbags reimagines classic book covers and transforms them into whimsical clutches and accessories. From the painstaking hand-embroidery and sleek gold frame to the Liberty-print lining, meticulous attention is lavished on every detail. Let this limited-edition style pop against your favorite LBD for a standout evening look sure to impress bibliophiles and fashionistas alike. 

Up for auction is Le-Tan's handbag-recreation of a hardbound edition of Molière's Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), the classic comedy from one of history's most brilliant satirists. This particular clutch is not available anywhere and will not be in stock in Europe and the United States until next spring. 

• Handmade
• Blue ribbon canvas, white felt, and black embroidery, designer-stamped, gold metal frame, stitched identity number at back (edition of 16)
• Internal pouch pocket
• Fully lined in floral Liberty-print poplin
• Clasp fastening

More about Olympia Le-Tan

Olympia Le-Tan is a self-taught fashion designer. She was born in London and raised in Paris and likes to say she is English, French and Vietnamese. She started her career at the Chanel design studio with Karl Lagerfeld then went on to Balmain where she worked closely with Gilles Dufour who then created his own brand with Olympia by his side.

In 2009, she launched her eponymous accessories label, combining her two obsessions, embroidery (a talent she inherited from her grand-mother), and literature (a passion she shares with her father, French illustrator Pierre Le-Tan) to create one of a kind handbags and minaudières. The bags are handmade with love in France in very limited editions. They are now distributed in over 30 select shops around the world. The brand’s signature book-clutch has been seen on Tilda Swinton, Natalie Portman or Clémence Poésy to name a few.

In 2011, Olympia’s felt embroideries were the main inspiration for the short stop-motion animation film Mourir Auprès de Toi which she collaborated on with Spike Jonze and Simon Cahn. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was then presented at the Locarno Film Festival. 

In January 2012, Olympia Le-Tan was the guest designer at Pitti W in Florence. For the occasion she created a special collection inspired by Italian literature and cinema, which was presented at the Museo Bellini.