Clothes lines

In the (man) bag

THEY’VE BEEN SPORTED by the rich and famous, the cool and trendy, hipsters of all ages and now they’re going mainstream. The manbag – as worn by David Beckham, Tom Ford, Jude Law, José Mourinho and others – has become the stylish portmanteau choice of the modern urban male, despite the off-putting term and feminine associations. Joey in the US sitcom Friends is generally credited with starting the trend; gay men have been prominent in popularising it, although Prada had already targeted male fashion editors with a manbag in 1998. But a photograph taken in 1971 in Genoa of our own Samuel Beckett currently on display at the new Gucci Museum in Florence (facing page) shouldering a leather Gucci horse bit hobo is evidence that the famous writer was ahead of the pack 40 years ago.

Sales of man bags are booming, while those of briefcases have plummeted in the past 20 years and are now mostly purchased by men over 50, according to a US report. Sales of men’s luxury bags in the US, the world’s biggest market, are projected to grow by 23 per cent through 2013, according to Euromonitor. Top brands such as Mulberry were already reporting a significant increase in sales of men’s accessories four years ago. Many current styles are deliberately drawn from sporting and country pursuits, such as fishermen’s bags or duffels, and are free from the sort of hardware commonly used to decorate women’s accessories.

Man bags, whatever the description, fit the practical demands of modern urban life. Skinny fit clothing means less freedom to laden jacket or suit pockets with the trappings of new technology without looking awkward and distorted. A crossbody or messenger bag can take iPods, iPads, laptops, mobile phones, keys and wallets and still be comfortable to wear. The best are lightweight, supple, functional as well as good looking. According to Amanda Daly of Indigo Cloth, the trendy Dublin boutique on South William Street that has been stocking them for years: “Women will push their partners or husbands into wearing them. Many who buy them are young guys going to college, cool kids who don’t want to wear backpacks or satchels and are into fashion. New brands are popping up all the time.”

Some of the most stylish in Dublin can be found in the new Coach accessories department in Arnotts, but Marks Spencer and others have less expensive alternatives. So with many a Christmas present now swinging on a hairy arm, the hostility to bagwearing males may be on the wane. Just don’t call them handbags. What next? The manpurse?