You might have heard that men are soon going to be wearing purses, and if you haven’t you should definitely read our piece on it because it is definitely going to be happening (even HighSnobiety jumped on the bandwagon after we published it). As men move closer to this new frontier and reality, we realize just how new it is. So we’ve outlined a pretty obvious set of demographics for men to place themselves in. The first is the guy who isn’t ready to carry a bag and wouldn’t likely be seen doing so. The second is the guy on the edge, ready to try out a bag but not certain if it’s something they want to commit to. The third encompasses a group of guys comfortable with carrying bags and who do so intentionally, but maybe differently. We’ve outlined the best products on StockX for each guy below. Scroll down and check it out.
The guy who wouldnāt usually carry a handbag.
Image: Sandra Rose
There are a lot of different reasons a dude may not be interested in carrying a handbag of any sort. For many guys, pockets can be enough. A lot of men only need to carry their essentials; phone, keys, wallet, maybe headphones. For this guy, itās hard to make the case for them carrying a bag. Beyond having the pocket space, the male aesthetic isnāt specifically created to cater to the accessory of a bag. Adding one creates a look that many men find unnatural and sometimes hard to pull off. With that being the case, until itās necessary for utility purposes, most men just wonāt put in the effort necessary to make it look good with their outfit. That’s not to say that this guy won’t carry any bag at all but the keyword for this type of guy is utility. There needs to be a reason to carry the bag and something medium sized just doesnāt make sense when you donāt carry that much stuff. This guy may not opt for a handbag or shoulder bag but will still carry a duffle to the gym or a backpack for their work or school needs. In some cases, like Frank in the above image, he’ll opt for both. Shop our top picks for duffles and backpacks below.
The Guy Whoās Ready To Dip His Toe In The Water
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This guy has likely gotten very into clothing recently or follows a lot of Supreme drop accounts. Heās probably started feeling confident enough in himself to begin experimenting with his silhouette (deservedly or not). Alternatively, heās stumbled deep into menswear reddit where somebody pointed out to him that his pants look infinitely better with nothing in his pockets. Whether he can no longer unsee the perfection of an empty pocket pant leg or heās just feeling himself, heās now ready to dip his toe into carrying things in a bag. The process probably starts with something low cost. Maybe itās a Supreme Shoulder Bag. Maybe itās a fanny pack. Quickly though, as the utility of being able to carry more than the essentials becomes more and more normal, this guy will realize that his new favorite accessory can be his most visible flex. While he may not dive right into carrying proper handbags, heāll likely upgrade his shoulder bag from Supreme to something a little more refined. Inevitably, this guy will end up carrying a LV Pochette by Virgil Abloh and walk around saying things like āVirgil is just such a visionary man. He just, like, bridges these worldsā.
The Guy Who Loves Carrying Things In A Bag Now And Wants To Flex His Superior Taste
This is the final level and there are only three. There is no debate, we are the experts. From here though, the path forks and the destination becomes blurred. Amongst this third type of guy, a guy who loves bags, there are several subcategories.
The āIām just going to get a purse and make sure everyone knowsā Guy
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This individual has pivoted their entire wardrobe to compliment their new favorite accessory. At this point, the rest of the outfit is now the accessory and the bag is the main dish. This man is absolutely committed to the lifestyle and has no desire to explain to others why he is so invested or why/how it looks so incredible.
The āWhat if I could put my whole Dog in it?ā Guy
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This person has thrown any type of concern for othersā opinions out the window. Their bag is so big it needs its own seat on the subway. They have long since seen the light of carrying more than the essentials. Now, they wake up every morning with an innate desire to push the boundaries of both the size of their bag and the things they can put in it. This man is absolutely committed to his bag carrying lifestyle and there could be literally anything inside his unnecessarily large bag.
The weird “matrix, break the simulation” Guy
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This dude is 100% already wearing cargo pants but for some reason feels the need to add even more pockets to his outfit. He probably really loves Skepta and thinks tactical wear is extremely practical. He doesnāt really wear handbags but much like the guy who loves them, heās altered his look to specifically make space for his techy chest rig thing that he thinks looks like a more rugged Timothee Chalamet red carpet look.
The āTotes are just so practicalā Guy
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This man tried out the shoulder bag once and loved the utility but needed something else because Supreme Shoulder bags became “too mainstream”. Now, because he refuses to go back to carrying things in his pockets, heās going to wear a diet-handbag, or a tote. This dude might try a proper bag look every now and then but always goes back to the tote that makes him feel so safe and just quiet enough.
