I adore Olympia Le-Tan clutches (the workmanship is amazing), but not the price tag unfortunately.  Check them out on Net-a-porter. I found a wonderful lady on Etsy, by the name of Tatiana Kononova. Her shop, Mrs. Chaplin sells handcrafted clutch purses for a fraction of the price.

Through our interactions, I asked her if I could interview her. Here is 5 questions/5 minutes with Mrs. Chaplin herself, the talented, Tatiana Kononova.

1) How long have you lived in Moscow?

For almost 30 years now as (I was born here).

2) How did you start making clutches?

I came across an Olympia Le-Tan clutch in some fashion magazine and really fell in love with the idea. After a shock from seeing its price had passed I started thinking whether there was a way I could make something similar myself. I googled some DIYs but wasn’t entirely happy with the final results they offered. So I decided I should come up with my own method. I had some sewing experience before but frankly speaking it was the first time I tried embroidery)) The first clutch I made was a Russian translation of a Tove Jansson’s book called “What’s next?” (which actually reflected my mood at the time as I was between jobs). It wasn’t flawless but all my friends were amazed when they saw it and suggested I should start a small book-clutch business. I thought “Why not?”).

3) What is your favourite thing about embroidery clutches for people around the world?

I’ve always loved books and not only just reading them – simply holding them in my hands felt a little bit like magic. Now I like looking for interesting covers that I think might look nice as clutches. Transferring a picture onto a canvas with felt and thread is kind of a challenge but really exciting one. And of course it’s very inspiring to know that people from so many different countries are interested in my work.

4) How did you come up with your shop name, Mrs. Chaplin?

I wish I had a nice story about this but the truth is that I simply don’t remember where it came from) I recall that when I was setting up my iPhone a couple of years ago I needed to name it somehow for the account settings and Mrs.Chaplin was a first thought from the top of my head. How I came up with it is still a mystery to me.

5) Name three characteristics (in no particular order) on your Love List? (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or your current mate)

I guess these would be:
– intelligence (I think this is the main quality for two people to have something to talk about if they decide to be together for the entire life and not just for one night);
– tolerance (I can be a real pain in the ass sometimes and I’m grateful to my husband that he is usually wise enough to let my craziness slide without starting an unnecessary fight);
– love of life (I am a kind of person who enjoys simple pleasures in life like finding another good restaurant or seeing an interesting movie. My husband is pretty much the same so it helps us not get bored by the daily routine).

ELENA:)