Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch (2024)

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Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch was the first new movie to air on the newly branded Hallmark Mystery channel. It premiered this month and stars Brooke D'Orsay and Gilles Marini. It seems that the network is still in a bit of an experimental phase, as this is the fourth new mystery to premiere this year.

Lauren (D'Orsay) is a fashion psychologist (which, by the way, is a real profession). After coaching a fashion designer through a pre-fashion week, Lauren is hired to continue coaching him through Paris Fashion Week. Unfortunately, things go awry in Paris when someone is murdered and Lauren's best friend is the prime suspect. Much to the dismay of the authorities, Lauren uses her background as a psychologist to get to the bottom of the matter and try to clear her best friend's name. And while Lauren's father is not in Paris with her, it helps that he is a retired police officer.

I really enjoyed this movie. I found it to be a little slow in the beginning, with the opening scene being completely unnecessary, but it didn't take long for it to really get going. All of the characters were interesting to get to know. I've always liked Brooke D'Orsay as an actress, but I think this is one of her best roles. I had only seen her in rom-coms until this movie. She makes an outstanding amateur detective. Each character brought something unique and authentic to the movie. In the first few minutes, I realized I was having a difficult time understanding some of their accents, so I turned on captions. Once I did that, I had no problem understanding what was going on. I think if I watched it again I would have an easier time understanding the dialog even without the captions.

The mystery was strong. I thought I knew who the culprit was, but was shocked at the big reveal. There are some awesome cringe-worthy moments before then, too! Nothing too terrible, just enough to capture your attention. You may have even heard me gasp a few times. I often have a pretty good idea of who the culprit is early in Hallmark mysteries. That was not the case this time. 

The high fashion theme is something new for Hallmark mysteries and they did a great job pulling it off. It wasn't your typical cozy small town at all, yet it still felt cozy. I really hope Hallmark makes more Crimes of Fashion movies. I would love to see it turn into an ongoing series. It's different, but not over-the-top. In this first installment, there was just the right mix of humor and mystery. There may even be romance on the horizon. If you haven't watched Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch and you generally enjoy cozy mysteries, I highly recommend this one. Even if you've never watched a cozy mystery movie, this would be a good one to start with. I believe you will be glad you watched it.