French soccer star Kulian mbappe with his handbag.
Ashley Fetters Maloy
A handbag, much like a shoe, is a punctuation mark. It might simply emphasize what an outfit is already saying, or it might infuse the whole look with whimsy or excitement. Or it might add sudden intrigue, like an unexpected question mark …? Purses elevate and complicate. And, helpfully, they carry all our stuff.
Tragically, though, since the advent of pockets in menswear a few hundred years ago, purses have been women’s accessories and, consequently, none of men’s business. Jerry Seinfeld was called a “fancy boy” on “Seinfeld” for his “European carry-all” around the turn of the millennium; Joey Tribbiani on “Friends” balked at a leather tote after seeing it styled on a female model. For generations, men have talked one another and themselves out of the magic of purses, just because they carry a whiff of femininity.
Look around today, though, and you’ll note that a whole new class of men in the public eye couldn’t care less. Most of them weren’t born yet when Joey and Jerry got bullied into parting with their purses, and now they’re stashing their valuables in stylish little bags and moving through the world with hands free and pockets unburdened. This summer made it official: Cool guys carry purses.
