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The Man Purse Aka. THE MURSE YES or NO ?

Seb Lucas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,562
Location
Australia
I don't see anything wrong with their bags but they sure are dressed funny.

Yes, they do look funny - but this is a common look on the train I catch - the fashionable, slightly silly looking slim fit too short pants and jacket with slim fit too short sleeves. Still it could be worse.

In relation to bags - I carry a range of them depending on weather and what I'm up to. I can't believe anyone would ever have a problem with men carrying bags. I hate carrying things in pockets unless I have to.
 

BlueTrain

Call Me a Cab
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2,073
Upon reflection, the pants in the photo in post #181 look just like the way pants were worn when I was in high school: fairly narrow with a relatively short hem (high water pants), the better to show your white socks. But nobody wore suede shoes, blue or otherwise. On the few occasions you wore a suit or sport coat, the fit was invariably better than those in the photo. Dress shirts were invariably button-down collars, always tucked in, at least at school. We had dress-up days at our high school. Nobody wore sunglasses and nobody had a beard, although I am speaking of high school. So, to put it simply, to dress any other way is just wrong.
 

totallyfrozen

One of the Regulars
Messages
250
Location
Houston, Texas, United States
...USA has a long tradition on men's bags. I am just thinking to Filson as well other brands.
View attachment 83010
There's a difference between a purse and a satchel. The guys in your pick are carrying handbags like my mother had.
I do have one handbag. It's canvas, OD green, Army surplus. It's called a "tool bag". I carry tools in it. My mother didn't carry a tool bag.



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GHT

I'll Lock Up
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9,846
Location
New Forest
Murse?! NEVER!
What, not even with a cutsie, little dolly?
manbag.jpg
 

BlueTrain

Call Me a Cab
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2,073
Someone, upon viewing a film or photo of a New York street sometime before WWI, with no apparent rules about traffic, foot, motor or horse, noticed that no one was carrying a backpack, bag, or anything of the sort. "What do they do with all their stuff?" the person asked.

Seems like a good question. Most of the bags and satchels in the photo don't seem to have much in them, except perhaps for a lawyer's legal brief or maybe the New York Times, although one fellow looks like he has been to the supermarket.
 

iwantthatimp

New in Town
Messages
15
Location
London
This is the type of uninspiring man bag that you see most around europe. Sometimes with the strap short so it's almost under your armpit like a holster. Imagine paired with a matching, ill fitting track suit.
34a5357d2364291246ef74d92b1b7eb7.jpg


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eugenesque

One of the Regulars
Messages
244
This is the type of uninspiring man bag that you see most around europe. Sometimes with the strap short so it's almost under your armpit like a holster. Imagine paired with a matching, ill fitting track suit.
34a5357d2364291246ef74d92b1b7eb7.jpg


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I always wondered whether the snug fit was to deter pickpockets.
 

Sonero

Practically Family
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867
Location
San Diego / Tijuana
This is the type of uninspiring man bag that you see most around europe. Sometimes with the strap short so it's almost under your armpit like a holster. Imagine paired with a matching, ill fitting track suit.
34a5357d2364291246ef74d92b1b7eb7.jpg


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I'd rather go flamboyant than "half way". It is like the euro version of the fanny pack. Nice for young adults but not befitting of an older gent.
 

Angus Forbes

One of the Regulars
Messages
261
Location
Raleigh, NC, USA
Man purse, yes or no? Strong "no" here. Ugh! Carry a brief case or a litigation bag, but never a murse. A guy in a good suit, carrying a litigation bag, projects a strong image.
 

BlueTrain

Call Me a Cab
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2,073
When I was in Germany several decades ago, you would see men carrying a small satchel that looked like a briefcase. Same size, same shape. We called them "schnitzel bags."
 

BlueTrain

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2,073
No, none of them looked like what I was referring to. They looked like briefcases. That was fifty years ago, remember, when people were a lot more dressed up than today. Hats, even. At the time, if you were in the army overseas, you weren't allowed out of barracks without a coat and tie.
 
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scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
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9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I may have mentioned earlier in this thread, but I find that the best thing for me to use to carry the things I must carry, which in no way, shape, or form fit in my pockets, is a string bag. It's comfortably out of the way on my back, almost unnoticeable, and pick-proof, as the top synches up tight and can't be opened without a decent two-handed pull, which discourages roving foreign fingers.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
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9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I also have one of these safari vests that I alternate with my string bag and MkVII gas mask bag (a la Dr. Jones style).

Humvee_by_CampCo_HMV_VS_K_M_Safari_Photo_Vest_Medium_196099.jpg


The only issue with it is that it gets a little heavy around the neck if I don't balance the load front to back. Another issue is that I have to take whatever is in the rear pocket out when I drive. Then I invariably end up leaving my wallet in the car instead of putting it back in the inside rear pocket (the safest place for it in crowds).
 
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Butch_Coolidge

Familiar Face
Messages
85
The evests are cool, but I wouldn't want to carry my Surface, iPad and phone in one at the same time.

Probably not ideal for the warm Texas summer.

My man bag is wearing in nicely.

178d37eb32007b98f52e9c5852c8d265.jpg



Cheers! David

I agree with that. But it probably would take care of the majority of other stuff.


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Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,112
Location
London, UK
I'm always amused at how fragile masculinity can be when it feels threatened by a bag. Still, for those who need to feel manly-manly, there's always Lost Worlds - plenty of pockets in their bike jackets. ;) Those e-vests are funny. They remind me of the novelty items I've seen parodied on TV, designed to thwart the airline limits on carry-on luggage.

I always wondered whether the snug fit was to deter pickpockets.

I've certainly carried my Barbour bags a bit higher in some crowded places so that I can have it clamped under my arm and my hand in my pocket where my wallet is. I'd never dream of carrying anything in the rear pocket of a pair of trousers.
 
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