Man Bag

Just the gift for my brothers next Christmas - a chance to stroll into the High House carrying a purse.

Guys are grasping the benefits of carrying, go ahead and say it, a purse
It takes a big man to carry a lady-like bag.

Wallets, cell phones, keys, PDAs, laptop computers - even the deepest of pockets can't hold everything the average guy is hauling around these days. While no-frills nylon gym totes or ho-hum pleather business cases would suffice, men are increasingly open to carrying a bag with a bit of style ... something more refined.

Enter the murse - a masculine version of the purse.

"I use one as a necessity," says Michael Gargiulo, 43, of Manhattan. Gloves, papers, scarf, cigarettes - it all gets tucked into a trendy leather, denim or canvas over-the-shoulder bag as he runs errands or commutes to work in the Bronx. "Why should [only] women get to have one? I need one."

Sure, it might feel a little strange at first.

"It's not like you're carrying a teacup poodle," says "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" fashion guru Carson Kressley. "Get over it."

"It's a matter of practicality and fashion," says Cargo magazine's style director Bruce Pask, who personally favors Lambertson Truex's collection of sumptuous leather and canvas bags. But since the market is brimming with offerings of sleek designer satchels from the likes of Gucci or Bottega Venetta and simple structured carryalls from Jack Spade and Manhattan Portage, men in the market for a murse or manbag can be choosy.

Or not.

Constantine Karonis, 25, who lives in Manhattan, estimates he owns about 15 bags. "I've been carrying one since high school," he says.

His favorite is a slim, checkerboard-print Louis Vuitton shoulder bag that retails for about $1,200. "Men are willing to make a bit of an investment," Pask says. A high-end designer suit may be too expensive, but a classy, well-made manbag from the same line is probably going to be more attainable, and a man will use it far more often.

For the uninitiated, a tailored messenger bag is a good start. "Leather always looks great," Kressley says, and there are masculine nylon styles as well.

Though Kressley will break out a Louis Vuitton clutch or short-handled satchel when traveling or running from show to show during Fashion Week, his daily murse is often a simple suede messenger bag.

"You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a great one," Kressley says.

Bold designer handbags and smaller purse-like totes are great accessories for fashion-forward men, but Kressley and Pask acknowledge the average Joe needs a healthy dose of self-confidence to carry them.

"They can look a little too girly for most guys," Kressley says. "That's a look reserved for the true meterosexual."