Brand: Must de Cartier Material: Burgundy calfskin leather Hardware: Silver-tone metal Closure: Envelope flap with snap closure Dimensions: 13" W x 9" H x 1.5" D (approx.) Interior: Burgundy textile lining with repeating Cartier logo Embellishments: Embossed oval Cartier logo on flap, interior metal plaque reading "must de Cartier Paris" Style: Vintage document case / portfolio clutch The Must de Cartier line debuted in the 1970s as the house's first dedicated leather-goods collection, translating the maison's codes of refined geometry and discreet luxury into everyday accessories. This large envelope clutch exemplifies that approach: supple burgundy calfskin, hand-stitched edges, and the oval Cartier logo embossed at center. The silver snap closure and matching corner detailing provide a subtle accent, while the generous proportions accommodate documents and essentials with equal grace. Inside, the signature jacquard lining carries the repeating Cartier oval motif, and a metal plaque confirms its Must de Cartier Paris provenance. These pieces were crafted in France during the golden age of the Must collection, when the house made elegant leather accessible without compromising on materials or construction. Notes from the Curator The Must de Cartier line launched in 1973 as a strategic expansion into leather goods, pens, lighters, and other lifestyle accessories, bringing Cartier's refined codes to a broader audience before the watches arrived in 1977. Burgundy—often termed oxblood or Bordeaux—emerged as the signature accessory color of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a semi-neutral that signaled discreet status. This large envelope clutch belongs to that foundational era, crafted in France with hand-stitched edges, supple calfskin, and the embossed saddle-stitch logo and metal corner accents that became defining codes of the collection. The generous proportions allowed it to serve equally as a document case or an evening portfolio, a versatility that reflected the Must ethos: everyday luxury without ostentation. Inside, the repeating oval Cartier motif on the jacquard lining confirmed that these pieces maintained the maison's standards of construction and material even as they opened the brand to a new generation. The snap-closure hardware and embossed oval logo at center anchor the design in Cartier's vocabulary of geometric restraint, a language the house had been refining since the 1920s.