I stopped watching Project Runway as soon as it switched from Bravo to Lifetime so I’m completely out of the loop with the show and its spin-off Project Accessory. That said they’re clearly still reeling in some talented designers because I’m loving this clutch by Brian Burkhardt. As the winner of a Project Accessory challenge this clutch and this necklace were picked-up by Kenneth Cole and are currently being sold at Kenneth Cole stores and online with 100% off net profits going to AWEARNESS, The Kenneth Cole Foundation in support of amfAR. Cole is often said to be the first person in the fashion industry to openly get involved in supporting AIDS awareness and research and I’ve always had great respect for his campaigns — as controversial as they are — for reminding us that we all need to be more socially aware.
As for the clutch itself, I have it and honestly couldn’t wait to wear it as soon as my hands touched it. It’s hard to design a bag with a horn and have it not scream “Gucci knock off,” but this one, in my opinion, succeeds in doing just that. Plus it’s made with real calf skin so it’s super soft and while from the image above it looks as though you’d need to remove the horn every time you open the clutch, the horn is actually secured in place and the bag very simply opens via a magnetic closure. At $300, this is one of the few bags I’ve come across recently that actually looks more expensive than its sticker price. The one downside is that it’s a bit heavy because of the horn, but that’s a small price to pay!