Dear Carrie,
I was flipping through a trashy magazine at my dentist's office recently and I chanced upon a blurb about a Sex and the City movie sequel, and I got to thinking about all the insane trends you and your three women friends pushed to the fashion mainstream. And I couldn't help but wonder: haven't we had enough yet?
I blame you and your friends for many fashion crimes.
You may not realise it but all those Baguette-and-Saddle-bag-carrying episodes caused subliminal purse-envy among men. I know this because I am a recovering victim. I also blame you for indirectly signing off that it is okay for men to walk around with a Birkin or a quilted Chanel bag in hand as you see them everywhere now.
So Carrie and friends, in case you're tempted to hang more bags on your boy toys in further sequels, allow me to impart some unsolicited advice here: it's not that men shouldn't carry bags, it's that they should carry the right ones. The following does not apply to your BFF Stanford because he transcends the codes of men's fashion.
For the Aidan and Steve types: solid and sturdy guys who like rough work, Kentucky Fried Chicken and sports, they should not be carrying bags with fancy monograms in cute colours.
The Aidans and Steves of the world should sport bags such as those from Jack Spade - industrial, reliable, a bit hard and rough around the edges. But most of all not the least bit effete. Jack Spade makes manly heavy-duty canvas totes reminiscent of coal miner and carpenter's bags, and is also famous for its messenger bags, which are simple, fuss-free and utilitarian.
