Out of Clutch?

At this stage I think its fairly safe to assume that the "Man Bag" has become accepted as an appropriate accessory for the modern male. No longer taboo or ridiculous, but practical and in some cases (mine being my main example) a complete neccessity! (I cannot leave the house without one!!) . It is easy to see why we have grown to accept this gender switching in fashion terms because lets face it, men have been carrying briefcases since, well forever! Not technically true but you get my point and its not like we're condoning men in skirts. With their varying shapes, sizes, colours and textures the man bag has become as important to some fashion houses as the latest "It bag". Celebrity man bag lovers include Pharrell Williams, Robert Downey Jr., David Beckham and the king of sartorialism Tom Ford. My ethos on bags in general is that you should buy the most expensive that you can afford (it will last longer), only buy one that you fall in love with and always choose a style that has proven staying power. The same should apply to mens bags with one exception, only a classic, natural leather colour will give you that sophisticated edge that the man bag should bring. Colours such as chocolate brown, black, tan and in rare cases, depending on the hide navy or grey will have the desired effect.

Recently however, there has been the explosion of the male clutch bag. Known to some as the "Murse", the "Mlutch", the "Pochette" and to those that use them for their intended purpose a "Document Holder". This trend has been growing since SS10 when it was featured on the runways of Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Prada. So far they have been endorsed by footballer Christiano Renaldo (yep, me too!) and more notably at this years Oscars under the arm of Best Actor Nominee Terrance Howard.

(some examples of my favoured way of wearing the clutch)

  For the coming season we are seeing more examples of this mini briefcase, and in some cases they are down right tiny! At Hermés we see that they have fashioned a normal sized bag into a clutch simply by making the models carry it in a clutchy way. They are prevelant too in the collections of Louis Vuitton, Burberry Prorsum and Salvatore Ferragamo. Each one more gorgeous than the next. I wonder will this trend catch on? There is major evidence from images of London and Paris fashion weeks that the men there are really taken with the practicality of a smaller concealer of those essential, everyday objects that are just to uncomfortable to carry in your pockets. Up until recently in order for a bag to be considered masculine it needed to fit all of the contents of your house in it, and I'm not ashamed to say that I liked it like that. When it came to bags, for me, bigger was always better and I am constantly asked "What on earth do you have in that thing?". This is why I am so surprised at my recent infatuation with the clutch. An infatuation that will soon become a love affair as I have my eye on the brand spanking new Victoria Beckham document holders that she created for SS12. Its slim, minimal, has enough room for an iPad, iPhone and wallet and is just bigger than an A4 peice of paper. Perfection! 

Victoria Beckham Zip Clutch SS12

 I am aware that this trend may never catch on here in Ireland, but I don't care, I am in love!

Burberry Prorsum AW12

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Louis Vuitton AW12

Hermés AW12

Salvatorre Ferragamo AW12

Alasdhair Willis, why British men are simply the best dressed in the world!

A successful publisher in his own right and married to the fashion world's hottest female designer of the moment, the One and only irrepressible Stella McCartney. Alasdhair Willis is my new style crush! 

Its not difficult to see what atracted McCartney to Willis, who is father to her four children. So smitten am I by my new style crush I would actually go so far as to say that as a family they actually rival the fabulousness that is "Brand Beckham". But I can't help but appreciate his sense of dress above hers. Sartorial, sexy and suave, Willis seems to out dress his designer wife at every turn. He is effortless and chic and does dressed down so much better than he does dressed up, that said he can still glide into a night time tux look with little effort and maximum impact. A match made in heaven it would seem as Stella McCartney has built her career on making women look amazing with as little effort as possible.

 It's very interesting to me that he represents exactly what McCartney has taken years to perfect with her own brand of "casual and easy dressing, with a sharp tailored edge", me wonders if he is the one doing the influencing? Food for thought... Stella puts her aesthetic down to having four kids, a full time job and numerous other highly publicised design collaborations such as the british Olympic kit and the long running relationship she has had with Adidas. All factors to consider when you really break down what it is she is trying to portray as a fashion designer. Easy, 9 to 5 workwear-come-evening wear, a wardrobe full of beautiful basics, exquisitely cut blazers and a pared down red carpet look. A coming of age it seems for her as the winner of this years designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards. But where's the award for Alasdhair?? In my opinion he has been achieving the "Stella" look for years, something that has taken the fashion world until the last few seasons to fully embrace. In a fashion world that is being ruled by the minimalistic approach, I'm here to award Alasdhair Willis my new "Favourite Style Icon Award" for May. Doing wonders for mens fashion, where was he when GQ did there best dressed list? Check him out in this very cool shoot he did with The London Even Standard last year.