At Home With Clare Vivier

Mother Stories

At Home With Handbag Extraordinaire Clare Vivier

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Mar 15, 2016

When it comes to accessorizing, nothing quite completes an outfit like a great handbag and no one knows this quite like Clare Vivier. The former French journalist and creative force behind her namesake brand continues to produce the most classic, modern bags, clutches, totes, and wallets of the moment. Join us as the multi-talented, Los Angeles-based mama walks us through her stunning home and discusses life, motherhood, style, and her ever-blooming business.

: "We bought our house in 2001. It's a 1905 Craftsman that was falling apart when we bought it and was under construction the entire first year we lived there. It was the light that originally made me love the house. We are up on a hill and we have unobstructed light from all sides of the house—it's beautiful."

: "No, it didn’t, but what we’ve acquired over the years has changed, as have our tastes. One thing we did recently, as our son is now old enough, is make a very open and consequently un-child-friendly staircase up to the third floor."

: "My bedroom, though my closet comes in at a close second. I love staying in bed all day when I have a day off reading the paper and books, and letting the breeze flow in through the French doors. Dream day revolves around my bedroom—there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. The only downfall is that our dog is not allowed upstairs, so during my rare lounging days, he cannot lounge with me."

: "Photographs have always held huge importance to my family. My husband has taken beautiful shots over the years that we have hanging in the den and I love the way those photos look together. I also love the pictures of my family that line the walls leading up the staircase. There’s such familiarity and warmth there. I’m quite fond of our Kelly green piano that we found on Craigslist—it is such an amazing focal point of the living room. In the upstairs hallway, we have a wonderfully large collage created by my dear friend Simone Shubuck, which has really rich, bright colors that catch the sunlight. It is so inviting and I just love it."

: "I think rules needn’t apply. There are always so many interesting things to collect and gather, and influences you can find on travels. It’s fun to constantly evolve in tastes and change the space you live in."

: "There wasn’t too much thought behind his room. It used to be a pretty robin’s egg blue, which I chose before he was born (I knew I was having a boy) and it was a very peaceful color for nap time, but he recently wanted to get rid of that color so we painted it light gray."

: "I remember driving home from the hospital after having Oscar. I saw a young woman walking down the street all by herself and it occurred to me that I would never be her again, meaning I would never be really alone again. It made me panic, as it had just never occurred to me that when you have a child, you’re never an individual—mentally—again. You always have someone else to consider before yourself. At the time, that scared me, but I’ve come to learn that having to consider the well-being of another before yourself is not a bad thing at all."

: "The amount of joy that he would bring. I’d never smiled or laughed as much as I did when he was a baby."

: That beautiful Craigslist find!

: "I love being constantly surprised by the blossoming of his intellect. At every age, it’s been exciting to see him come into his own as an ever-evolving intelligent person."

: "His teenage years. I also worry about his personal relationships—his friendships."

: Say hello to Paco!

: "I think I’m similar in the way that we’re both extremely loving, but also a bit tough. I remember my mom sometimes having to say something to the effect of, 'well, life’s not fair.' One thing I realize now that I have a pre-teen is that I maybe didn’t consider my mom a person growing up. I think mothers are largely taken for granted because we are always there and always trying to help. So, sometimes when Oscar is treating me like a little snot, like I’m sure I did with my mother at his age, I say to him, ‘Oscar, I’m a person and it doesn’t feel good when you speak to me that way.’ I don’t know if he hears it as I’m sure so much of it is hormonal, but he seems to."

: "My mother and my sister are my mothering role models. I’m the youngest of my mom’s six kids. I’ve learned her unwavering love and support for her kids, and my big sister is the mom of three beautiful and delightful (now grown) kids. She is a nurse in labor and delivery, and is the calmest and most reassuring person I know when it comes to mothering."

: "Probably something from my sister, which was essentially, 'they’re smarter than you think,' referring to kids. She meant it as let them make their own mistakes and learn from them. Don’t be a helicopter parent."

: "To remember that as hard as it seems at times, everything passes. For better and for worse, nothing lasts forever. That’s a good thing when you’re talking about your kid needing you to stay with them until they fall asleep, for example. It's also bittersweet when you’re thinking about how cute and small they are."

: The bright, newly remodeled kitchen.

: "Not really. I guess one thing that comes to mind that I’ve tried to bring into our house is the way that French people (my husband’s family, at least) really make it known that there are inappropriate times for kids to be around—there’s grown-up time and family time, which allows for breathing room and boundaries. They teach kids to respect adults in a way that seems missing from some American families. For example, it is not okay for the child to interrupt when parents are speaking. With all that said, we are far from perfect."

: "I really wish I were a more organized parent. I always wish I was more meticulous in taking care of his toys, books, and such. It would also be nice to be a better cook and have more patience. I think I could go on and on with this response."

: Beautiful family photos.

"On the weekends, we have breakfast, I read the paper while he plays video games, then we go to Elysian Park with Paco. My husband returns from soccer and we all go to lunch, then come home and all do our own thing ’til dinner. Either my husband will cook something delicious or we may to go Taix, a french restaurant close to our house that we can walk to."

"I love living in L.A. and really appreciate the wonderful community we’re a part of on the East side. Of course, it’s always fun to think about the other places we could live, but the business is here and our family is here."

"After all this time of loving so many fashion styles and not wanting to classify myself, I’ll admit that I’m most comfortable in tomboy attire—a blend of classic pieces with menswear influences, with some modern accents like a silk scarf, new loafer, or a new Clare V. bag."

"I think I’ve always held the same amount of interest in style. With work, there are quite a few occasions where I have to look dressed for a certain occasion and being a parent means I try and make those transitions as seamless as possible, if anything."

"Whatever latest Clare V. bag I’m carrying with a few clutches tucked inside. Also, Acne trousers, some brogues or loafers, and always a button-down—either chambray or some standbys from Steven Alan. I’m also never without the watch my father gave to me for my 30th birthday."

"High-water trousers with a button-down and mules or slides of some sort, plus a Clare V. bag."

"Rachel Comey, Steven Alan, Dries Van Noten, Acne, Hope, and Ulla Johnson."

"I shop in my neighborhood. I rarely leave my community on the weekends and that’s the only time I have to shop—Mohawk General Store, Lake, or Mixed Business. I also shop when I travel because I go visit stores around the world for research or to visit my own collection. Also, I always do damage at boutiques when I do trunk shows at any of our wholesale accounts—spending hours in a shop is dangerous. There are a few great vintage stores in L.A. that I love, like Collection and Luxe de Ville, and some great ones back home in Minnesota, too, that I never miss on a visit."

"No, shopping habits have maybe changed with less time that I have due to work and motherhood together."

"I’d like to find a great pair of vintage Gucci loafers in my size."

"I keep it quite simple. I always use Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer to start, Chanel Mascara, and Nars Heat Wave for an orange-red lip. Kristie Streicher turned me onto a light brown brow pencil and Mary Kay Brow Fix."

"I have private Pilates classes twice a week and I try to hike a few times a week with Oscar and Paco, which is my favorite weekend activity. I eat as healthy as I can and only indulge here and there."

"We had to find a name that worked well in English and French. We had a contractor on our house named Oscar who we liked a lot, but we didn’t name our son after him, I think it just introduced us to the name."

"The best part is hanging out with him and conversing with him. He’s interesting and kind."

"I am the CEO and Creative Director of Clare V., a line of accessories made in Los Angeles, but to describe all that it would take me a long, long time."

"Clare V. is a line of handbags and accessories that feature both classic shapes and modern details to satisfy what contemporary women (and men) are looking for."

"I think people’s paths may be circuitous, but they lead you to where you are. This is especially clear in my case, as I did not go to design school, nor did I want to run a fashion company from the get-go. I was always in love with fashion, but didn’t quite know how to make a career of it, so I thought I’d be a editor and write about it in a journalistic way. That lead me to work in television journalism with my husband, which is when I had the idea for the company—there were no cute laptop bags for young women back then. After that, I started sewing bags myself, but always had to have part-time jobs, so I was a production coordinator for commercials for a brief stint and a prop stylist for a design company, which turned out to teach me a lot about making desirable imagery."

"I mostly love the creative aspect of my job, but surprisingly, I also love the business side of it, because I know that to continue doing the creative part, I have to retain the level of success we’ve achieved thus far. I also really love the people I work with and getting to collaborate with other creative individuals outside of Clare V."

"The Tropezienne will always be a favorite because it was the line’s first true handbag when we launched. However, I also am very excited for new bags each season—right now, it’s the Ines and Lou in Couio Vachetta and the Hollyhock and Sardine clutches."

"Travel, friends, architecture, community—the list goes on and continues to grow."

"Perspective is always key. It’s easier now to take things in stride and to remember my work motto, 'everything’s going to be ok,' which I adopted after I became a mother and had a stable and loving family that would always be there."

"It’s a delicate balance that is a work in progress. I work at it every day and the balance changes from one day to the next."

"I travel all the time for work, which I love, but it can also be hard to be away from home. I’m lucky that my husband is very hands-on with our son and is able to step in while I’m gone in ways that have been tremendously helpful to all of us."

"There’s probably not one big break, but a series of them. I think of when Steven Alan took the line for his stores and then in his showroom, which started a long and helpful relationship with him; when I took partners in the company in 2012 (including Steven), who have been extremely helpful; when I opened my first store in Silverlake—the neighborhood where I live and the community that I call home felt really special and signified an important step for the brand. Then there have been very helpful and supportive friends that I’m indebted to like Heather Taylor, Jeana Sohn, Deborah Kaplan, Naomi Scott, and Marlien Rentmeester (and others—I could go on)! All of them are moms and are all so important to the beginning of my business."

"We’ve just opened our 5th boutique, which is located in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Next is Newport Beach, CA in a few months."

"Stay true to your vision and try your best not to get distracted by the competition. It’s easy to stray off course, but stay true to your message and why you started designing in the first place. That’s where your best work will come through."

To follow along with Clare, check out her Instagram.