Men's Handbags: Shopping the Other Side

Men’s Handbags: Shopping the Other Side

Female handbag connoisseurs take note . . . there is another side. One we seem to forget or ignore or both. Bags are no longer the exclusive province of women (or men chic and confident enough to carry them). Most top brands have specific styles intended just for the guys -just compare the bags available online for men and women at Hermès and Louis Vuitton; the selection is actually different. Gucci, on the other hand, does show some bags for both, such as the Ophidia collection.

Just because luxury designers feature bags for the bros doesn’t mean we women shouldn’t be looking at them too. We should. Admittedly, the men’s bags tend not to be ladylike or uber-feminine but they are not without their charm and benefit.

For starters, as women, we often see our sisters carrying all the same bags. As much fun as it may be to admire and compare, sometimes you want to be different. Shopping the other side opens a new window, a bag of fresh air, say. Even if the design is the same, the fabrication may be new and appealing (we’re looking at you Louis Vuitton Monogram Macassar).

Photo courtesy: @benji_san

Sometimes, it’s just a tweak or a twist. Look at the Hermès Baseball Bolide. It’s an adorable take on a classic shape. Baseball or softball, it scores.

Photo courtesy: hermes.com

And remember the Hermès Birkin shown for Men’s Fall 2018 with the fluid leathers resembling a mountain view. It’s a gender-free zone bag.

Photo courtesy: vogue.com

Functionality and practicality seem to reign on the male side. No teeny tiny totes that fit nothing. Even the male bum bags seem more spacious (giving new meaning to junk in the trunk).