Stylish Men’s Bags

Men’s Style Signals: The Bag

mens-bag-fashionFor men, a great bag works just like a good car. The purchase is equal parts functional, emotional and style-driven. In short, you buy the bags that seem like they fit your job description best, but you also choose the ones whose reflection you liked in the mirror. Here’s how to channel – and fine-tune – all those little signals you send with the style of your bag.

Aside from just the style and design of the bag you bring, you should also think about the maker and the material that goes into it. Men’s fashion places great importance on both, and each one can add a unique angle or personality to your wardrobe.

Formal and Fashionable
There’s nothing wrong with traditional suit-and-necktie styles like the kinds your old man used to have; throwback trends are a big part of men’s fashion today. Looking to the past doesn’t have to mean your aesthetic has to do the same. You have no shortage of luggage options that take a cue from decades ago but look unmistakably 2011.

What will really send those businesslike, professional vibes is a classic shape in a classic material. This calls for one of those rigidly shaped briefs like daddy used to have, only with less shine and pockets (two things the previous decades seemed to love) and a little more streamlined luxury and understatement.

Leather is still and always will be the premier material for men’s bags and shoes. Other trends may come and go but leather remains the gold standard of formal fashion. Grab a bag in a contemporary black or an even more traditional brown, either way with silver or gold color hardware. If you’re going for the time-honored styles, you can’t go any more classic than clean lines and simple colors.

Creatively Cool
Of course, you might have one of those creative type jobs, where fashion statements are a little more acceptable – even expected – at work. If this tie-optional view fits you and your attitude about what you do, you’ll have to look to a somewhat different style of bag.

A creative job sticks less to structure and has a lot more flexibility than others, so you can have your bag reflect that aspect of your work. Soft, unstructured briefs (without the hard backing of their stiffer cousins) and canvas messengers should fit the fashion bill. Look for bags that have a bit of slouch to them, but not to the extent that they sag all over the lobby. Cleaner, sleeker lines usually help achieve the ideal balance.

When going canvas, it helps to be proud that you’re not taking the black leather route. Instead of trying to disguise a casual bag with black canvas, go for more natural earth tones that advertise the kind of free, creative spirit you are at work.

A Signature Style
Since everyone else at work wears the same kind of suit-and-tie or jeans-and-cardigan ensemble, it always helps to have a signature fashion statement that’s recognizably yours. Women use their bags as signature pieces all the time, and there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

The strategy to having a bag that’s both sharp and singular is to have one visual element of it turned all the way up. That could be anything from a really interesting texture to an extremely bold color visible from a mile away. Oversize totes and excessive hardware take a little more panache to pull off, but are even more effective at establishing that your fashion stamp is in the building.

Other Suggested Readings:
Mens Summer Fashion Accessories
Guide to Mens Fashion Accessories

Your Mens Ties Team

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