Trend report: manbags are getting smaller (and smaller)

What do you take with you when leaving the house each day? Phone and keys for sure. Ear buds perhaps? Maybe a lip balm? Certainly a pair of sunglasses if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere sunny. But a wallet? Nope, cash and cards are finito, thanks to Apple and Google Pay (and who wants to be handling dirty banknotes in these Covid times?).

The truth is that a man is able to travel as light as a feather these days. But shoving personal items into pockets spoils your look and creates unsightly bulges, as well as leaving yourself open to pickpockets. The answer, then, is a bag. A small bag. And in some cases this fashion season, very small bags that could double as a suitcase for an action figure.

All the major labels put mini manbags in the manicured hands of models for their winter shows. Some bags were soft and slouchy, some were rigid and boxy, some came with straps and buckles, some fastened with zips. Methods of transportation varied: clutch it and let it dangle, wear it across the body, or hook it onto one shoulder. Remember: the lighter you pack, the faster you go.