I spent two weeks in Atlanta with my parents over the holidays, and although there are a million great things about visiting them, one of the greatest is their incredible cable package. I have a setup here that lets me watch the shows I recap over the Internet, but other than that, I, like many New Yorkers, have cut cable from my budget in order to accommodate this town’s astronomical housing and booze prices.

Naturally, while I was home, I spent as much time as possible soaking up the mindless entertainment that television provides, most notably a seemingly endless marathon of How It’s Made reruns. One episode featured the making of a Swaine Adeney Brigg attache case, which was so interesting that I couldn’t help but feature the Swaine Adeney Brigg Westminster II Bridle Leather Briefcase as the subject of today’s Man Bag Monday. When they call these bags “handmade,” they mean it.

Unlike many modern accessories companies, this British manufacturer still makes all of its pieces by hand in a workshop outside of Cambridge. Of course, you’d expect no less from the brand behind the hat made famous in the Indiana Jones movies. With that kind of pedigree, the masculine, refined and utterly classic look of this briefcase makes so much sense. As you’d also expect, Swaine Adeney Brigg offers a full spectrum of in-house repair work for its customers, so the purchase of this bag virtually guarantees a beautiful briefcase for life. How many handbag designers do you know that do the same? I can count them on one hand, that’s for sure. Buy through Mr. Porter for $1230.

Man bags are always one of the most controversial topics we tackle here. Some women don’t want their men wearing any kind of bag, and some men would never be caught dead carrying one either; usually, the arguments from both of those groups is that there’s something inherently feminine about having a bag with you. I don’t think that’s at all true, and one quick look around New York City (or any urban area where most people don’t have cars) will indicate that those hang-ups go away as soon as necessity dictates.

But what if your man is one of those dudes who’s always giving you stuff to put in your purse and you want him to carry a bag, or he wants to and doesn’t really know which way to go? Start him out with something like the Bill Amberg Full Grain Leather Messenger Bag. With a very reasonable price point (less than $400) and a masculine color and construction, there’s no way he’ll feel like he’s carrying a purse.

A friend of mine purchased this bag as a gift in the not-so-distant past, and although I’ve yet to see it in person, he’s of discerning taste and promised me that it’s a steal for the price. The leather is soft and thick, with a great whiskey-toned finish and slightly rough edges, and the bag is big enough to feel like an honest-to-goodness messenger bag instead of like a large women’s purse. If your husband, boyfriend or brother is in sore need of something to schlep his stuff, he could do a whole lot worse and spend a whole lot more money. Buy through Mr. Porter for $385.

Oh Man Bag Monday, we have left your category so under-loved the past few weeks. I promise it was not purposeful, it just…happened. But we are back and giving the men who read PurseBlog and the ladies who shop for their men who don’t read PurseBlog our suggestion for a bag this Monday. Thus far many of the bags we have covered are much pricier than what many men would ever consider spending on their bags. Today I found a very fashionable but rugged and affordable look in the Belstaff Cotton-Canvas Messenger Bag.

This bag gives the right look without looking like you are trying too hard. It is something I can imagine being suitable even for the men who refuse to carry a “man bag”. The khaki cotton canvas with worn brown leather trim gives a manly appearance while being completely functional with the two front pockets, interior pocket, and fold over flap closure. The Belstaff emblem reminds me of a pilot, which again scores some super cool points.

I know every dude out there won’t carry a bag, but many dudes need to and finding a carryall that works for them and their style is most important. If you are or know the casual laid-back guy who would never want a leather bag, consider this option for Belstaff for $395 via Mr. Porter.

I know what you guys are thinking. It wasn’t all that long ago that we featured another Mulberry holdall for Man Bag Monday and we try to keep things diverse around here, but when a single brand is performing so well, it’s hard to spread the praise around. So for this week, we bring you the Mulberry Albert Leather Holdall, which is as sophisticated as it is luxurious.

While Mulberry’s women’s offerings tend to focus on providing a young, fun twist on British heritage, the men’s accessories are a little more straightforward and traditional. Which makes sense, when you consider how the men’s market differs from the ever-churning procession of trends and ideas that you see in high-end women’s accessories. This is the type of bag that a 65-year-old man could carry just as proudly as a 25-year-old, which is the strength of Mulberry’s men’s line above and beyond most others in the same price range. Buy through Mr. Porter for $1450.

Usually, our Man Bag Monday feature happens on…well…Monday. But considering the specifications of the Ralph Lauren Purple Label Alligator Weekend Bag, we think you’ll understand why we’re a day late; we spent most of yesterday picking our chins up off the floor.

When you consider that The Row’s Crocodile Backpack rings up at an astonishing $39,000, the $24,000 price tag on this versatile carryall seems downright reasonable. Ok, maybe “reasonable” isn’t the word, but if you got this sharp travel bag instead of the backpack, you’d still have enough money left over for an Hermes Birkin and a rather nice wallet to go with it.

Nothing brings the strangeness of the fashion industry into stark relief like stumbling across a $24,000 bag and comparing it to another bag as the lower-priced option. But compared to croc bags by both The Row and Hermes, that’s exactly what this Ralph Lauren stunner is. Hermes Birkins in alligator cost a bit less than their crocodile counterparts (they also tend to be smaller, which would explain the difference), but considering the size of this bag and the exacting standards to which Lauren’s Purple Label products are held, this is a beautiful option for both men and women with enviable budgets and a love for traditional, uncluttered leather goods design. Buy through Mr. Porter for $24,000.

Ok, so this post a little last minute for a Father’s Day gift idea but honestly, I know many of you may be like me and procrastinate. When it comes to both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I always try to find a gift that can be sentimental. It gets hard to come up with something year after year, but as much as my dad loves Hermes ties, sometimes a tie gets a little too repetitive.

If you are looking for a last minute Father’s Day gift option, have an accessory from Coach monogrammed.

Coach is offering complimentary monogramming on leather hangtags, luggage tags, and an array of small leather goods at it’s men’s store on Bleecker in NYC and Copley Place in Boston. But don’t fret, if you aren’t in either area, you can place an order by phone (NYC location 212.243.3612, Boston location 617.262.0419).

As far as monogramming goes, you can choose up to three letters with or without periods, in navy, green, yellow, orange, red, white, black, gold, and silver. Get your move on if you would like this done for Father’s Day. Then again, this is a great gift for anytime.

Some of these offerings, like crocodile from Burberry Prorsum and the fantastically structured Prada creation you see at left (not to mention Hermes, because Hermes never does anything wrong), are indeed worthy of superlatives. Others…not so much. Let us know which bags are your most and least favorites in the comments.

Photos via GQ France.

We don’t often write about men’s accessories in these parts, but the manbags (and gloves and belts and sunglasses and shoes…) that just debuted in Paris for Louis Vuitton Fall 2011 are too good to pass up. I don’t personally know too many men who carry clutches, but most of the hand-held bags would make great travel accessories to carry inside the collection’s larger options. Or, if I get my way, they’d also be great to loan to a ladyfriend. Full pictures after the jump.

Images via Louis Vuitton.

Enter the Lanvin Military Duffle Bag. This design strikes the perfect balance between macho and high-end, and the details are just “Lanvin” enough to be distinctive without looking like a woman should be carrying it.

Anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of fondling a Lanvin bag in person knows how inappropriately soft the brand’s leather always feels, and this bag gives you a healthy dose of it, plus Lanvin’s signature frayed edges. The unfinished elements are more often found in Lanvin’s ready-to-wear than its bags, but the careful use of the technique in this piece gives the bag a signature touch without interrupting the design’s feel of traditional masculinity. And the best part about men’s bags, of course, is that they’re mostly unisex – ladies can carry this travel piece just as easily as the boys. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2290.

Can I just tell you all that this picture made me want to run over to Bottega Veneta and buy every single wallet shown?! The kaleidoscope of colors and materials makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop. Only this is a luxury leather goods candy shop, the best kind of shop in my opinion.

We leave out the PurseBlog men way too often. These Bottega Veneta Wallets are just for you guys, as the dimensions are a bit larger. Materials include intrecciato leather, ayers, stingray, ostrich, and crocodile. There are many color options (as shown above).

There is a reason why a wallet is an amazing gift for a man in your life. Every man carries some form of a wallet with them everyday. While personal preference comes into play, Bottega Veneta offers so many options that you can not go wrong. And I mean, look at the picture above! Are you drooling? I am drooling over men’s wallets on a Wednesday, and that means this is a good middle of the week treat. Buy via Bottega Veneta online.