Man bags with non slip shoulder straps

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Messenger bags are great, one of the finest additions to fashion in the last two decades

Like many people we at Blokesbags carry them everywhere and appreciate the fact that these days we don’t have to leave our gadgets behind when going out and appreciate the fact that messenger bags also represent a genuine alternative to the ageing briefcase.

But we also know that there is nothing more annoying than a shoulder strap that constantly i-stay messenger bagslips off your shoulder, because either the jacket you are wearing is padded and or shiny or the strap lacks a comfort pad.

Enter the i-stay range of men’s bags that were introduced this year with patented shoulder strap technology that stops the shoulder strap sliding off your shoulder no matter what you are wearing.

Those clever people at i-stay have introduced a range of bags, including messenger bags, iPad bags and backpacks all with interchangeable shoulder straps available in a variety of colours.

The i-stay iPad bag means that you can carry your iPad in comfort and safe in the knowledge that you will not be constantly hitching it back into place when walking.

Made of durable black nylon it also looks good enough to carry whilst wearing a suit and features  two main pockets accessed by two way zips with the fist containing drop pockets for credit cards and pens and the second a padded sleeve to keep your iPad safe and secure.

All in all a well sized portable good looking office, which measures 28.5 x 22.5 x 7cms and costs just £49.99.

But if you want bigger, then the same i-Stay technology is applied to the i-stay  laptop messenger bags. Also made of durable black nylon, it is also in effect a mini organiser that has drop pockets for your mobiles, pens, coins and credit cards and of course a padded sleeve for your laptop.

Measuring 40 x 33 x 8cms  it comes in at just £69.99

And if you are still reluctant to take the full man bag plunge then check out the i-stay laptop backpack. Good looking in black durable nylon it too features an organiser with drop pockets for pens, mobiles and credit cards as well as a velcro secured fully padded laptop sleeve.

It measures 38 x 28 x 14cms and so will sit comfortably on you back (without the straps slipping down your arms) and all this costs just £74.99.

One day all shoulder straps will be made this way.

 

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Leather Holdalls That Will Last For Years

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Leather holdalls are a sound investment and well looked after will last for years.

You have to pay more for the privilege of owning leather holdalls, but they pay you back with year after year of versatile usability and often look even better with age.

The best thing about a well-chosen holdall is that it can be used as a gym bag (or general sports bag) as an overnighter or as a weekend holdall, or all of the aforementioned.

All it takes is a little care – try to avoid it getting wet, as this can lead to staining and depending on how you want it to look, apply a little polish to it every now and again.

Oiled leathers age very gracefully with the oils in the leather causing it become softer over time and either you can add polish and it will go darker or you can leave it looking distressed.

But be careful, all leather needs some care, even if it is only every now and again – you would be amazed at the rejuvenating effects of just one application of a good polish such as wheeler’s leather balm.

The amount of care leather holdalls need, all rather depends on what you use it for. Regular trips to the gym for instance will obviously take more out of them than a bag only being used occasionally as weekend luggage.

And a note of caution here – yes they make great gym bags, but do, please keep them off the floor in the changing room. Water and leather do not mix!

However, we have seen leather holdalls that have relished regular use and now look better more than 10 years down the line than they did when they came out of their wrapper.

The type of leather you choose will also make a difference. Leather thickness varies, but he general rule of thumb is the more you pay (within reason), the better the cows leather (though this does not of course apply to distressed styles). Bull’s leather is another step up both in the weight of the leather used and as a result, the price.

But the choice is yours. Go for what you like, but just remember every now and again to give it a little TLC. If you require any more information regarding our range then please do drop us an email.

And do bear in mind that at this time of year, they make brilliant Valentine’s Day gifts that will last and last.

 

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Who Chooses Men’s Messenger Bags?

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I am regular at a coffee house in central Bath where life comes and goes and I have watched more than a few mini dramas unfold – tears, laughter and every emotion in between.

It seems to be must go place for break ups – or make ups and a great deal of time is spent either wiping away tears or eating faces. All life is here.

It is also one of those places, that despite the piped music allows snatches of conversation to waft over the table tops – most thankfully ignored, but every now and again one does get through and you find yourself, before self-discipline takes over, being drawn in.

One recent conversation between a couple who had spent the best part of an hour staring out of separate windows barely speaking, suddenly exploded into life with the words – “Well you bought me them”

The man leapt to his feet as scalded adjusting his skinny jeans as he went and began to remonstrate afresh with the woman – let’s assume girlfriend – opposite – “You mean I don’t look good in them?,” he asked.

I bit my lip and tried very hard not to listen further, but couldn’t help but smile when the dissemination of his outfit (cardigan, t-shirt, skinny jeans and pointed cowboy boots) progressed to his choice of messenger bags.

It turns out that it was the only thing out of his whole ensemble that he had chosen for himself and he had chosen well – a distressed brown leather number – no label, just well care worn and in my opinion at least, stylish.

At which point it struck how little most men influence their own look. There have been a great many surveys suggesting outrageous percentages of men rely almost entirely on their women folk to mold if not choose their look.

And of course that flies in the very face of the idea that fashion designers pull the strings – or do they? Is it a case of the catwalks in London, Paris and Milan over the last few weeks being observed in the main women on behalf of their menfolk?

Possibly.

Though we at Blokesbags believe that trend is one that is changing and men are beginning to dress themselves and as in the case of our man in the picking his own man bags.

When we started a little over four years ago, the vast majority of our range of bags for men, be they messenger bags, holdalls, briefcases or men’s handbags were bought by women for men.

Today, that is no longer the case and excepting Christmas and Birthday’s when they are of course bought as gifts, the majority of our men’s bags are bought by men for themselves.

So well done to my man in the cafe, there are hundreds of men’s messenger bags to choose from you, and you chose well. So how about trusting your taste and extending that choice to the rest?

Go on, you know you want to!

Man Bags To Rescue Of Luxury Brands

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OK let’s hear it for the blokes, the men, the boys, for the Chinese male is driving a resurgence in the luxury goods market after a slowdown that led to profit warnings.

burberry-IMG_9069

burberry-IMG_9069 (Photo credit: Robert Sheie)

And how are these guys doing it? They are snapping up men’s bags like they are going out of fashion, so to speak! Bless them.

Recent figures show that Chinese shoppers actually make up about a quarter of the world’s luxury purchases and of those 55% per cent are men and of those, an awful lot of them are shopping for man bags.

Only last October Burberry were forced to issue a second profit warning after sales slowed considerably sending shock waves through the whole sector and there were fears it would ripple out to other luxury brands.

Mulberry weren’t far behind and they too in October issued a ‘severe’ profit warning causing shares to initially slump by 25% with Mulberry revising revenue growth to the year end of March 2013

Only this week Financiere Richemont, the company behind luxury watch names including Cartier reported that they had missed their third quarter expectations, blaming flat sales in China among other causes.

But once again there is light at the end of the tunnel with China’s growth picking up 7.9% in the fourth quarter after seven quarters of negative growth and that meant that Burberry could report that its Asia Pacific sales were up 15% in the three months to December, led of course by China and Hong Kong.

Whilst their sales in Europe remained flat and sales in America rose by only two percent China went back into boom time with sales of men’s clothing up by a whopping 50 per cent.

And just behind men’s clothing were men’s accessories including of course, men’s bags which were up 40 per cent – which, in theory at least is good news for men’s bags manufacturer’s everywhere.

If only the British market could emulate the trends – all of them – and in particular the one regarding man bags. We still have a long way to go with regard to carrying man bags as a matter of course, but we are getting there.

A fillip in the economy would of course help, but here at Blokesbags we have one simple message – come on men, it’s down to you – get out there, get shopping and get your very own man bag over your shoulder.

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Briefcases Make Great Gifts For Valentine’s

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Drift Classics vintage laptop briefcase

A Drift Classics vintage laptop briefcase

It is that time of year again – Valentine’s Day is closer than you think –  and millions are scouring the web for the very latest and best briefcases. Look no further than the hand-picked range to be found at Blokesbags.

Each of our work bags has been picked because they are fit for purpose and stylish to boot. We do not specialise in the shiny plastic handled briefcase that your father or teacher used to carry. No way

Instead we have selected our bags based on practicality, usability and style and whether you the user will look good when carrying it.

Wear a suit? Pick one of our leather briefcases. Prefer the casual understated look? Then check out our canvas range and if you are ultra casual and prefer jeans, then look no further than our distressed PU look.

Whichever look you prefer you also need to remember to consider what you will be using it for. It is no use buying based on looks if it will not fit in everything that you need it for.

Is it big enough for your laptop for instance and even if it is, is it essential that it comes with its own padded laptop sleeve or will the one you already keep it in, suffice?

Obviously the smaller your computer – perhaps you prefer a tablet, or iPad – then the less space  you will need overall, but in so saying do not compromise on the space if you also need to carry A4 files and documents.

You also need to work out what other things you carry around with you on a regular basis. Is there somewhere convenient and easily accessible for your mobile phone for instance? Do you need somewhere to keep your pens upright and therefore less likely to leak.

Additionally do you carry around credit cards? And are you one of those people that need to know exactly where your house keys are when you arrive home in the pouring rain. Look for a bag with a key fob – saves a lot of frustration.

Other things to consider when browsing our briefcases are things like, is it lockable. If the contents are valuable and you spend time on public transport then that might be an important consideration.

Finally, is a handle enough to carry it with or would you prefer the option of a shoulder strap (many of which are removable).

The choice is yours and if you need any further help or detail of any of our briefcases then drop us an email or ring David on 01225 952852

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Men’s Bags To Get Bolder?

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THE round of men’s fashions shows for Autumn/Winter 2013 are over and models are heading home and the designers returning to their workshops to begin work on the Spring Summer shows for 2014.

So we know what the big names are going to put into their boutiques in a few months, which gives us a pretty good idea of what the High Street chains are putting into production as I write.

Not the same, because that would be piracy, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the clothes hung on the rails of Next, Burtons and Top will be remarkably similar to the designs we have seen over the last few weeks.

There will be black and white clothing in abundance, lots of checks and hounds tooth, with the browns, greens and mustards of the country gent look thrown in for good measure.

The flamboyant cashmere and mohair knitted creations seen on the backs of models on the Paul Smith and Versace catwalks will be muted slightly, but they will be on the High Street by September.

The same as the other hotly tipped creation – animal prints, they were then again in the Paul Smith collection and tipped by Louis Vuitton who concentrated on a collected that suggested gentleman explorer heading out on a super luxurious trip

But how far can you go before the clothes become unwearable? That is the joy of what happens next – the extremes are taken, noted and then interpreted for you and me – the man in the street, the buyer!

Here at Blokesbags we have yet to see what will happen to men’s bags, but it is fair to say that animal prints will feature as will black and white, hounds tooth and check as well as tweed.

Over the next few weeks men’s bag designers will be giving us a glimpse of their new collections at Spring Fair at the NEC and other accessory shows, such as PURE and MODA.

It will be interesting and we expect to see some of the man bag designers attempting to go bold – Ashwood Leather have tried it a few times, but with limited success, but nice to see then at the cutting edge, nonetheless.

My Cambridge Satchel

My Cambridge Satchel (Photo credit: adamwilson)

Most other designers of men’s bags are relatively conservative, though it is interesting to note that Eton Mudd have launched a brand new collection and the Cambridge Satchel company are launching their own menswear collection.

And finally we note from The Guardian’s fashion spotters that the Phillip Lim biker inspired collection including slouchy leather and suede back packs.

Bring it on!

 

 

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Meggings And Messenger Bags – Would You Wear Them?

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The furore surrounding the meggings seems at last to be dying down, but don’t be fooled that doesn’t mean that they have gone away.

Jasper: tingle tangel

Jasper: tingle tangel (Photo credit: Jasper Gregory)

As is the way of these things, they will continue to be worn by so called celebrities (some of whom are clearly paid to parade in them) and the media will continue to shout from the rooftops about how impractical they are and how they will never be adopted by fashion conscious men.

Then slowly but surely they will be introduced by more and more designers into their fashion collections and they will begin to appear on the man in the street. Just watch. It happens with all fashion and meggings will be no different.

They made an appearance this week at the Milan Men’s Fashion Show in the Armani collection where they appeared in grey and was the strongest indication that Armani who has not had the best of shows in recent years, will not be muzzled.

But it the fashion favourites of the likes of Justin Bieber , he might be a poster boy for girls, but that does not necessarily translate, Lenny Kravitz and Russel Brand who has not moved on much from the skinny jeans he has favoured for the past decade.

And the good news (for most of us) is that thus far, they are very difficult to get hold of in the UK, in fact despite googling at length the only one to come back was a European brand, Adrian, that are available through http://thestylishfox.com (sic).

But what has struck me are two things – cyclists already wear them when out in public and others wear them for running or in the gym, so is it really such a big step from last season’s favourite skinny jeans.

Yes, it is, not every man, or should that be not many men have the sort of legs that you would lust after and the tightness around the nether regions does nothing for the bulge that is the man

But from our point of view at Blokesbags, we figure that if they do catch on, then sales of man bags will rise alongside, because rather like cycling pants, there are no pockets, with the possible exception of one across the base of the spine.

Which got us to thinking – which of our man bags would you put with a pair of meggings? Good question. A man’s handbag worn on the wrist would not look out of place, and a good cross body men’s shoulder bag or one of our cross body messenger bags might not look out of place.

We would shy away from messenger bags worn on one shoulder as they symmetry of the bag against the thigh would only accentuate any muscular deficiencies in that area (or put another way, make you look skinny).

Or if you don’t fancy messenger bags, then you will have to pair meggings with holdalls – god knows you will need the space if you are going to want to carry anything at all.

Meggings, mantyhose, men’s leggings call them what you will, might be passable under shorts, but by themselves? Let’s hope not. But stranger things have happened to men’s fashions and if they appear in Burtons next year, then we are all doomed!

Come on guys let us know what you think? Would you? What do you think of the look? Let us know at: David@Blokesbags.co.uk

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Men’s Bags From Men’s Fashion Week’s Collections

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Men's fashion silhouette of 1837 shows broad s...

Men’s fashion silhouette of 1837 shows broad shoulders and a narrow, tightly cinched waist. Fashion plate from Modes de Paris Journal des Tailleurs, October 16, 1837. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here we go again – men’s fashion week has now arrived in Paris and the first models took to the catwalks yesterday morning.

But what are we actually learning from this seemingly endless round of showcases? How much will actually translate into clothing on the bodies of people like you and me?

It goes without saying that some of the more outlandish examples will never make the racks in Marks and Spencer or Burton’s and I can never envisage frilly underwear going anywhere other than certain XXX websites, but some of the others will begin to filter through as early as Summer.

As with every fashion show there are spotters watching the big names who put in all the initial design work, only to see their work ‘interpreted’ by the High Street for their own stores.

In the odd world that is fashion, it is rare for anyone to be taken to task for copying designs, though it does and will continue to happen, but in the main the big names seem to roll with it, taking it more as a compliment than counterfeit.

And that my friend is why you pay top dollar for the names such as Gucci, Prada, Versace and the like. It is them that pay the very best of designers and it is they that take their roadshow around the world and that is in itself outrageously expensive.

So when you pay several hundred if not several thousand pounds for a suit with a designer label sewn into it, you are actually paying for everyone to have the chance to wear something similar. Similar, but not the same. Similar, but with a different label.

And it is the same in the world of men’s bags. What is on the catwalks of London, Milan, Florence, Paris and New York will be on sale by the end of the year, subtly changed, bearing a different label, but heavily influenced.

It happens at every level – the fashion houses are the trendsetters and the rest of us the workhorses, the sellers and it all fuels the fantastically expensive machine that is fashion – men’s and women’s.

As it filters down the price reduces and thankfully in the world of men’s bags at least, that means that you can have bags of breathtakingly similar designs, made sometimes of higher quality materials at lower prices.

Funny old world. But if you want the label, you pay handsomely for it, and it is not like you have to wait long for the me-toos to come out. What we are viewing now on the catwalks will be in the shops in no time at all – depending of course on the collection – Summer/Autumn, Winter/Spring.

So watch this space and you will find new designs of men’s bags arriving at Blokesbags by Summer fromr last Autumn’s catwalk collections and by the end of Summer for the designs we have seen this week.

The mad scramble to get there first begins now – in fact in factories across the world materials will be being cut and machinery set up to do just that and they will be rolling off within days to arrive back here in no time at all.

Thank goodness the world of men’s bags is not the same as women’s where the seasons really do matter and designs change at least twice a year. In our world we move at a more leisurely pace and bags hang around for a year if not two.

Though I suspect that is only because it is a new market and as the influence of the leading fashion houses is brought to bear then that will change and if we fall for it, we will be replacing our man bags on a far more regular basis.

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Milan Mens Fashion Week and Holdalls

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What a difference a week makes.

One of the biggest shows on earth – ever on the move, ever re-inventing itself, the men’s fashion week circus has gone from London to Milan inside a week. And as sure as night follows day the show rolls on – today is the turn of Paris. Watch this space.

It will be interesting to see what the pundits say about the differences seen on the catwalks, but one thing stood out for us at Blokesbags almost instantly – and that was the predominance of men’s accessories on the catwalk.

Most of the big fashion houses chose Milan to launch new collections of men’s bags alongside their clothing and some of the results were simply stunning, others a variation on a theme.

Tinie Tempah was there to fly the British flag and see the much anticipated Burberry show with their distinctively patterned bags alongside a collection of animal prints and tweeds.

Burberry sent two designs of bags out on the arms of their models, a distinctive Burberry print with brown leather trim, semi barrel shaped holdall and a brown cross body leather shoulder bag with faux leopard fur trim on the front pocket.

Gucci on the other hand had a black leather Gladstone style holdall carried alongside the sort of the grey check materials we saw so much of the catwalks of London last week (see blog on Hackett).

Daks excelled with three of the six outfits accompanied by holdalls – one black with shiny black trim, another plain black and another featuring a variation on a tweed theme only predominantly in white with brown and black criss-cross patterns.

Etro managed to really funk it up putting a variety of brighter colours together complemented by a dark brown holdall or in another case a khaki fold up suit carrier to accompany a predominantly green outfit.

Fendi only managed the one bag, a boxed holdall, but Georgio Armani excelled themselves with five of their six walks accompanied by some pretty good looking holdalls in a variety of designs and colours.

Few designers sent their models down the catwalk empty handed Missoni, managed a briefcase, Jill Sander a green leather tote holdall, another holdall for Salvatore Feragamo and a funky bright yellow spotted holdall for Vivienne Westwood.

But final accolades go to DSquared2 who managed to marry casual, business and military looks with a variety of different holdalls and if that does not prove that men need bags in all walks of life then what does.

If you want to have a look at the best of Milan’s accessories then we recommend the slide show provided by the New York Times who described them as ranging from the conservative to the outlandish. That’s about right then.

And if holdalls are your man bag of choice, then have a look at our extensive range.

Roll on Paris…

Hackett Shows Off Tweed Holdalls On The Catwalk

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Hackett London

Hackett London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hats off to men’s fashion wear designers and retailers, Hackett of London whose new collections took to the London Men’s Fashion Week 2013 in style.

Not only are there some great new looks pending, but they are also one of the very few design teams that sent their models down the catwalks with bags to match their styles.

Full marks and a good effort, in a sea of average, Hackett really did nail it with tweed holdalls being sported to compliment the well-dressed country gent look and not only did they carry the bags, they carried bags in complimentary materials to the clothing. Wicked.

Hackett have come a long way since they opened their first store in the New Kings Road in London which sold vintage men’s clothing and of course accessories.

But Ashley Lloyd Jennings and Jeremy Hackett quickly realised that demand was outstripping supply and so decided that they should manufacture new outfits to compliment the vintage offering.

As befitting of vintage clothing, they favoured ranges aimed at town and country before later adding sportswear alongside their business and casual ranges. Smart move then, sponsoring a Household Cavalry Team playing out of the Guards Polo Club.

Many shrewd sponsorships have followed including the dressing of the England Rugby team a well as Johnny  Wilkinson and now their sponsorship list reads more like the average blokes’ wet dream (after sex) check out this list:

But here at Blokesbags we are even more proud of their acknowledgement that men carry bags – most days, for most reasons and their catwalk models showed it off to the full with more than one in four carrying one.

Sadly we have no idea how much their tweed holdalls will retail for in their stores, but for those who want to complete the look now then look no further than our range.

There are two holdalls worthy of your perusal if it is the country gent look you want to compliment, the Gladstone Tweed holdalls are  ideal for weekends away and stylish arrivals in country hotel foyers, and the Tweed Duccani holdalls that are ideal for a night or weekend away or even for every day use for the gym etc.

And to really look the part then check out the matching wash bags, also in a leather/tweed combination – the Ashwood Game fold out wash bags and the Ashwood Game wash bags.

Finally, if you prefer the country gent look for every purposes then check out the Jasper Game messenger bag which is also a combination of tweed and leather and is the perfect size for  a small laptop or your iPad.

Get the look. Get it now. Why wait?

Gladstone tweed holdall Duccani Tweed holdall Jasper Tweed Messenger Bag

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