Don't Man-Bag the Issue: purse, pouch, clutch-like or shoulder bag?

The conventional male wallet seems to be bygone, giving way to handheld pouches and things that carry stuff and look like purses! Just the other day, I was at a mall, keenly observing the sea of people that surrounded me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most guys were carrying these smallish zipper entities that contained their cash and cards. Most of them snugly fitted into one hand, leaving the fingers free to tend to other needs.

The new combinations ruling male wardrobe choices seem to be a smartphone in the front pockets of trousers or lowers and a hopefully-manly looking pouch in one hand along with unavoidables like car keys. Does not make sense to carry your compact laptops or full-sized tablets everywhere. If you do, a bigger sling or should bag should be the choice. Carrying everything in your hands as if you have been dumped by your landlord isn’t the wisest choice.

I recall this experience of repeatedly visiting a nearby bank branch when I had started freelancing and PayPal payments were being credited to my savings accounts. The Union Bank of India bank branch was swelling with people holding all types of bags, pouches, packets, purse-things, file holders, etc. that were employed to carry everything, from saviour documents to real, hard cash and so many other things. The use of polythene is perhaps the ugliest way to do it. The ultra-thin laptop bags are not the most space-conscious options or they are too conscious about the space they occupy but either way, it is a NO-NO when you want an all-terrain bag that is versatile and can accommodate the daily abuse you slap on it.

I recall Joey from FRIENDS running into a similar situation where his cross-shoulder man-bag is interpreted as being too feminine. This is not about feminity of the design but its utility and as long as men are not stressing about the type of fabrics or the better pattern of polka-dots, this is rather easy. Some guys are pushing the limits by choosing pastel and pink shades. Again, if you want to get noticed in some way, go for it, if not, you might as well stay safe with the more predictable choices. This does not mean getting predictable and boring. You can still find man-bags that have the voraciousness of a backpack and the ease of use of a lady's handbag in colour patterns that combine the brightest shades of blue, red, orange, olive green, sleek greys, dense blacks, and sandy browns.

Now some pointers based on my experiences & observations:

- Don't have a huge ensemble of man-bags. You are supposed to ration them or else you are colour-coordinating too much

- Don't be so upbeat about the finesse or texture. Manly thing to do is talk about its robustness and the ergonomic grip

- Functional-first bags are good. Color-first not that great. Shoulder bags are the easiest to carry & explain, i.e. if you happen to buy one in some outrageous shade 

- Man-bags with skinny pants or ultra-tights don't blend well unless you are trying hard to say that you are the person fashion police should have on their most-wanted list

- Man-bagging is also about your swagger. If you don't have the shoulders to carry cross-shoulder bags, if you don't have that lift in your footsteps when moving around with your man-bag, the purpose is pretty much lost!