How to spend a lazy Summer afternoon

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Pocket books and purses disguised as books are becoming quite popular. I can’t guarentee that toting one around will boost your literary cred, but they are a cute idea, with loads of vintage appeal. Provided that no actual books were harmed, of course! Here are some of my current favourites.

Femme Sud

The Femme Sud Ex Libris pocket book is the original book-shaped purse. The collection was originally released in 2008 and featured cheeky embroidery, a handy mirror and even a cute little coin purse. When you could still manage to find one, they sold for roughly $500 each.

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Kate Spade

These sleek purses debuted in 2010 and feature such titles as Pride and Prejudice (above), Emma, The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, and The Importance of Being Ernest. I love the gold-tone hardware and the adorable black and white striped lining. $325 from Kate Spade.

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Chanel

Chanel included two book clutches in the 2011 Spring Ready to Wear collection. Apart from Diane Kruger bringing one along to the Berlin Film Festival that same year, they were never seen or heard of again. A pitty really.

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Olympia Le Tan

These amazing clutches have popped up in the hot little hands of everyone from Natalie Portman to Tilda Swinton. Michelle Williams has a few herself, which is quite an investment considering the $1,300 price tag. Classic titles include The Great Gatsby (above), Dracula, Lolita, Doctor Zhivago, In Cold Blood, Madam Bovary, and The Portrait of a Lady.

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Laguna Moon

Laguna Moon‘s embroidered book-shaped bags are adorable. Spiral-bound and featuring a handy chain, they’re also made from synthetic leather and come in at about $120 with current exchanges rates. Making them one of the more affordable bags on this list!

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ASOS

Lest I speak too quickly, this clutch is the cheapest of them all! Wherever there is a trend to be had, ASOS is usually all over it. This lovely little blue and gold clutch fetches for $40. And really, who can resist that tassel?!

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Too many to choose from really! If you’re game enough, this is the kind of thing that you could very easily whip up yourself one rainy afternoon. Arianna, Kate, Marlena and Jenna have all shared their DIY secrets, though these involve slicing up real books. Over on good ol’ Etsy, there are several people selling old books converted in to handbags and Kindle covers. But my favourite so far has to be Bromeliad, who made hers out of an old DVD case, as opposed to cutting up a perfectly good book. You could even choose a different cover for each outfit, which is very clever really!