She Knows Best - Lifestyle Tips for Guys

The Man Purse

by Arieanna on November 21st, 2006

The man purse. The man-bag. A highly debated fashion accessory. To wear one or not to wear one? What is a good man purse? What should you avoid?

This post goes into detail about the Man Bag - and how you can pull it off.

First, a pictorial presentation of celeb guys attempting the man purse, some better than others. I’ll explain their pros and cons.

Dear God No! That is so an evening purse. Nowhere near a man purse.

Ok, if you don’t have much, don’t get a man purse. Especially one that attaches to your belt. Just use a wallet or your pockets.

Ok, you can maybe get away with this, but it is seriously bordering on a women’s purse. The only plus is the square shape, but it would look more manly a little bit larger.

This is a good one. It’s smaller than a messenger bag, so it still qualifies as a man purse while still evoking "bag" as a thought, not "purse." It is a nice matte black, which is more manly, and has a good clean front.

Aside from the whole clashing thing going on, I definitely think this is a man purse. It’s an ugly one, but it has that safari feel to it and has no feminine lines to it.

What to look for in a man purse:

• should justify it’s use - i.e. not just be a replacement for a wallet, but be substantial in size for its use
• mid size between a women’s handbag and a briefcase
• nylon or matte leather (black or brown)
• either more business-like (very plain, basic) or sporty
• look for one that looks like a mini-messenger bag (square or rectangular, shoulder strap)
• hand bags with no shoulder straps are acceptable for larger, more formal "mini briefcase" looks

What to avoid in a man purse:

• feminine details. Debatable, but I’d qualify this as excessive detailing, hardware or pockets.
• shiny black. It looks too decorative.
• fake leather. That’s just cheap, no matter the gender.
• tassles or glitter
• silver or gold
• patterned leather - lots of high end bags do this and I really think it’s too feminine

Casual man purses (from ebags.com):

• Decode SFO Thirteen Shoulder Bag - $24.99, comes in black, grey, red, beige
  
• Manhattan Portage City Lights - $26.00, comes in black or red
  
• Clive Payoff - $60, comes in black, grey, or orange
  

Formal man purse:

• Jack Spade Bridle Leather Patrol Case - $395
  

Note, a "sling" is not a man purse and is a good option for those folks who want to carry stuff but are still wary of the man purse.

Via ontd ; photos from AOL ; Tags: man purse, man-bag, man bag, purse, bag, fashion, style, menswear, mens fashion, bag, messenger bag, tote bag

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POSTED IN: Accessories