Hot for the Summer
Blurring lines between gender do’s and don’ts, this season’s leather accessories are designed to serve the uber-confident man. He is one who picks up a slender tote as he sets off for his Monday morning brief, or straps on a waist pouch as he explores the delights of a new city. He is also one who understands New Utility in the shape of a backpack, clutch or sleeve, and embraces it with suave equanimity. We, at The Leather Boutique, tip our hats off to this subtle, yet telling egalitarian shift with our pick of the hottest trends in men’s leather accessories this summer.
‘Tote’ally Chic
If you were of the misunderstanding that ‘tote’ and ‘man’ had an incongruous ring to it, let us enlighten you. The Burberry Barrow shatters all those silly myths as it brings to you the ‘man tote’. Sleek, slender and androgynous, it teams up as the working man’s high-handled briefcase. And design labels from Salvatore Ferragamo, to Gucci and Dior, are following suite. All you need to do is find your favourite colour!
A Burberry classic, The Barrow evolves to a document holder with thoughtful compartments for men. With hand-painted edges and a detachable shoulder strap, this Italian number is crafted in calfskin leather.
Packing a Punch
Rustic, shabby and uninspiring are adjectives that no longer find a place in the definition of backpacks. Functional design finds itself the running theme across Bottega Veneta, Hermès and Tumi, among others, as they bring to the deciphering man, a nouveau backpack. Now, more than ever, it’s all about living the many adventures of life in inscrutable style.
Supple calfskin leather envelopes the clean, compact lines of this Bottega Veneta creation that intersperses their iconic intrecciato finish. What’s more, it is as functional as your everyday regime demands.
Folio Around
Gone are the days of murses (man purses, for the uninitiated) and mlutches (man clutches, geez!). Sorry, not quite yet! But, the good news is they have been redefined this season as ‘hand-held briefcases’ and ‘folios’. With handy compartments and zippers in all the right places, this one is a clutch that you will be happy to grab. Structured to fulfil your grab-and-go wish, these folios are as voguish as you will get this season.
The edgy chic aesthetics of Dior Homme are translated into this compact hand-held briefcase through the camouflage print that never seems to go out of fashion. With a total of six pockets, files, e-help and stationary, are an easy fit in this leather folio.
Fanny Following
Did you just say, fanny pack? Wash your mouth with soap, we say, for this is the revolutionary waist bag. Or, as Louis Vuitton has christened it, the Bum Bag. Before you get yourself tied up in knots over it, relax. It’s the same old fanny pack your dad carried around, simply restructured to be more flattering and enviable. Far from being tacky, design houses are doubling it up as cross-body slings and even giving them stylish belt straps. So, it’s a good old waist belt in the front and slender pouch at the back!
Damier Ebène canvas, gold brass pieces and leather trimmings make the Bum Bag Brooklyn from Louis Vuitton an instant must-have for the season. Modern, casual and chic, this is New Utility at its finest.