Man Bags

It has been a while since we have discussed man bags here. I feel a little silly neglecting my man bag duty, especially because that makes me biased and also means I have been neglecting the man, Vlad. Without further ado I must introduce you all to a gorgeous and understated man bag that many of you could most possibly talk your man into wearing. The Lambertson Truex Brown Leather Mail Bag pairs sleek refinement with subtle style to make a brown leather messenger bag that nearly any man can wear to work or school and feel sophisticated but still masculine. The white topsthing adds a nice detail along with the silver metal hardware (found on the turn lock closures). Providing ample storage room, this mail bag features an open pocket beneath that front flap closure, a back zip pocket, and inside zip and organizational pockets. Not overly metro or too feminine in my opinion at all. Dimensions are 11 1/2″H x 16″W x 4″D. The holidays are on their way and if you need to give your man a helping hand I would keep this bag in mind. Buy it via Bergdorf Goodman for $495.

If you really want to go all out for your man, pair this bag with a beautiful set of cufflinks. To match the bag I would opt for the Robin Rotenier Striped Topaz Cuff Links which pair sterling silver with blue topaz and match this bag (through BG for $395). Or if your man loves to be bad to the bone, I would splurge and throw in some Deakin & Francis Yellow Gold Cuff Links. These are bling bling of the badass world boasting 18-karat yellow or white gold and diamond eyes and movable jaws (via BG for $3250).

Not all men are LV men, but my man is The Mr. picked up a gorgeous Louis Vuitton Taiga Dersou recently. LV has released some new man bags for Fall/Winter 06. The Louis Vuitton Innsbruck Cabas is ‘inspired by the chic elegance of the Innsbruck, Austria ski resort at the heart of the Alps’. This bag is made with suede calf leather with grained calf leather trim and has its focal point as the signature geometric V pattern on the exterior. This bag has an embroidered interior patch that recalls 1950s Louis Vuitton advertisement. For a put-together man, this bag is perfect for work and perfect for traveling to Innsbruck with you. Measurements are 15.4″ x 15.4″ x 4.3″ and the man bag is available via eLuxury for $2370.

Just 10 years ago the married couple, Kate and Jack, made their last name a household name; Spade. The Jack Spade approach offers men items that represent both honest, thoughtful design and practical purpose. For functionality the men of today need a messenger bag. You all know that the man of the Purse Blog and Forum just indulged in a Louis Vuitton Messenger If you are opting for a clean and sleek look, the Jack Spade Bridle Leather Bags are perfect for the everyday man. There is the day bag or the field bag to choose from which both have an adjustable shoulder strap, two interior pockets, and an exterior back pocket. The day bag measures 13″ x 4.5″ x 10″ while the field bag measures 15″ x 6″ x 12″. If you are attempting to fit your 17″ MacBook Pro in there, it won’t happen (haha Vlad!) but if you only have a 15″ MacBook Pro like myself, the field bag is just right. The messenger style bags are available in black, chocolate, orange, blue, and red. The day bag goes for $495 while the field bag goes for $525 via Jack Spade.

After a day of carrying my new Louis Vuitton Taiga Dersou around New York City, I am confident to say that this is the ultimate man bag. No doubt about it.

Its strap is long enough for a comfortable cross-body fit (I am not a small guy at 6′1″, 215lbs…), the inside compartment fits my 17 inch Macbook Pro like it was made for it. I initially had eyeballed the smaller LV Viktor or LV Alexei, which wouldn’t have been wide enough for the laptop, though. If you are looking for a stylish messenger for your boyfriend, husband or yourself, those are definitely two models to consider. Being a guy who carries around his 17 inch Macbook like it was an essential part of my body, I had to go with a wider version. At the Louis Vuitton store on 5th Ave, the friendly SA presented me with the aforementioned models, but I ended up with the bigger Dersou, because it seemed to be big enough to fit the ‘puter. When I arrived at home, I realized that it actually did!

The Louis Vuitton Dersou is made of waterproof canvas, which makes it wind-and-weather proof and keeps its contents nicely dry. Whether you want to carry the $1,270 bag into the rain, is a different story. The flap is made of my favorite Louis material, the Taiga leather. The texture almost makes the leather seem like a vinyl material, it seems very durable and I am sure it will be of great service for many, many years. Inside, you have a zipper compartment and two vertical patch pockets under the flap. An additional large zippered pocket on the back gives extra storage space.

What can I say? I am loving it. This purchase is both exciting… and dangerous as well – I’ve already caught myself peeking at all the other wonderful men’s collection goodies Louis Vuitton has in store. The store experience itself was a lot of fun, I would like to thank my SA Sandy P. for her help and making me feel comfortable purchasing this bad boy. The Dersou, as well as many other Louis Vuitton bags, clothes and accessories are available through eLuxury.com. I don’t think I would ever purchase any high class item online though, the in-store experience is just too much fun!

As you may, or may not have noticed, the PurseBlog got a makeover and is now flying its brand-spanking-new summer outfit. Version 3.0 was getting boring to look at, and I’ve finally motivated myself to get the work done to recreate, renovate and redo the ol’ hag. Let me know if you like it! Do I get a cookie now?

Ok, I’ll pass on the cookie. Aside from the redesign, I’ve come to the conclusion that my bag arsenal totally sucks, especially for a guy who sits at the helm of interweb’s biggest site dedicated to… bags. A shame really. Before you suggest for me to indulge myself with some lady bags, I need to preemtively announce and I don’t fly lady bags. While other guys may respectfully disagree with me, I just don’t see myself ever wearing a Speedy, for example (although Megs claims that her recent aquisition does look good on me… yikes). On the search of a genuinely good looking man bag, I stumbled across the Hugo Boss Havana Canvas Messenger Bag, which, surprisingly, only goes for 275 dollar Americano. Not bad for a bag from Boss, I would have expected it to go for at least twice as much. The bag offers a sleek, sophisticated everyday style that I really see myself sporting every day. The flap over the front covers two large pouch pockets with magnetic snap closures while the flat pocket on the back is perfect for magazines or papers. Now I just have to figure out if the messenger fits my 17 inch Macbook Pro and I am ready to kick the Samsonite backpack in the dust. [via eLuxury]

First and foremost Happy Father’s Day to all you amazing daddies out there!! My dad deserves a ton of appreciation and love today- he is amazing. Problem with my dad is that he is impossible to shop for. Designer anything is not his style. I wonder every year what to get him and he ends up with the same thing from everyone in the family, new work shirts and ties and sometimes a new suit. So dad, if you are reading this, please let me know what I can give you as a gift, you are impossible to shop for!

I have found a gift that is probably as far away from something that my dad would like as they come, but it is worth a manly try for some other amazing men out there. Paul Smith has quirky bags that may appeal to many men. Vlad for one loves motorcycles. It is not that I don’t think motorcycles are cool; it is that the safety factor terrifies me. So as long as I have any say in it, the closest Vlad will get to owning a motorcycle is this bag. The Paul Smith Triumph Messenger Bag is designed from woven canvas with leather trim and bright purple cotton canvas lining. The clincher is the photo image of a Triumph motorcycle on the front and back of the bag. This messenger bag has an adjustable shoulder strap and interior zip pocket and slot pocket. Honestly, I think this bag on a guy would look metro but could also be so handsome. Measuring 19″ x 12″ x 4.75″, buy this trendy thing for your man (or Dad!) for $420 through eLuxury.

If men in this world only realized how sexy it is to carry a sleek designer bag, they may begin to understand us a little better. I find that men don’t want to give off the un-manly vibe, but that doesn’t mean that matching and looking good makes you un-manly? I don’t need a man who wears stripes and checks all at once (cough cough I won’t want to pick on anyone- but a certain someone whose name starts with a V and ends with a lad did that to me about 2 years ago and I nearly got rid of him then!! ) I know you all agree with me that a first impression lasts forever in your mind, and you know you want that guy that is dressed nicely. Even more so this impression lasts in the workplace. If you are going for an interview you know to mind your P’s and Q’s and dress to impress. So for the small amount of men that are out there reading this, do us all a favor and keep in mind that a) we like when you dress nice and b) you are allowed to wear a nice bag and still be considered manly!

What I have in mind for the men who do care to impress us and the work force is the Louis Vuitton Kasbek PM. This tote bag for men is made from both grained Taïga and smooth leather. The outside is simple and appealing with the brown leather and brushed palladium hardware. But the compartments are what should lure you in- along with the simplistic elegance of the bag. This tote features two outside pockets (one is zipped), an inside zipped pocket, a cell phone pocket (which won’t get much use since the typical businessman lives on his cell), a large open pocket which could hold files, magazines, or your computer. The inside is also lines in Sari canvas and the tote comes with an adjustable shoulder strap (and when I say comes with I mean it is sold separately). Measuring 14.6″ L x 11.8″ H x 4.3″ W, this bag will help you men out there win your way into the fashion world and the ladies hearts. Buy it via eLuxury for $1470.

Man bags are a must. Well in my opinion, they should be. For some reason men just do not want to ever say that they are carrying a ‘man bag’. What is the issue? Why not?! I am not asking you to carry a pink bag, but some bags are just so darn good looking on a man. Jack Spade has decided that man bags are a must, so all you ladies need to convince the men in your lives to nab a man bag. The Jack Spade Dad Backpack in Chocolate is a simple enough bag for any man to like. Made from brown triple-layered, weatherproof nylon, this bag is equipped for any daddy playing mommy for the day. The outside has a double-zip top, padded shoulder straps (since all the baby gear weighs quite a bit), and two front zip pockets. Not only will you open up to some bright green nylon lining, you will also find two bottle holders, and easy to access Velcro® pocket, laptop sleeve, key loop, and a bright green reversible changing pad (that green lump in the picture ). Overall stats are 17″H x 14″W x 6″D. All you men on the verge of trying to venture into the world of bags may find this bag to be the perfect beginner bag- especially if you have a cute little baby!. Buy it through Neiman Marcus for $225.

Let’s talk some Burberry today. For a light start, we got the Burberry Luggage Tags for $130.00. A ridiculous amount of money, considering you can get generic tags for a buck fiddy or the free paper ones at the airline ticket counter. Still, if you don’t know what to do with your money, and you already spend several G’s on a full Louis luggage set, you might as well spend another half a grand on these tags to round off the luxurious bunch. They come in sets of two, in either Jacquard Canvas or Metallic Leather and can be ordered right here.

If you ladies want to treat your man with something that’ll make him stand out at the weekly golf outing with his buddies at the range, get him this Burberry Bag set. For just under $500, you get a carry-all bag for all of his misc golf equipment, along with a useful seperate shoe compartment. The signature black check nylon canvas on lightweight, shower-resistant polyester assure that moisture, dirt and mud stay where they belong. Get ‘em right here through Saks.

It’s the attack of the killer man bag. Yikes. The controversial Jake Gyllenhaal, who has seemed to have the problem staying faithful, is completely secure in his fashion choice. If I’ve ever seen a man bag be worn so proudly, it is by Jake while he flirts- oops, I mean converses- with another woman (where you at for this one Dunst?). If anyone can be so comfortable with his masculinity and huge ego, it’s Jake- even with his messenger-style man bag/small backpack. Jake wears the bag well with. More power to him