Buying Guide For Men's Satchels

BUYING GUIDE.

Sure the economy is still hobbling. And yes, the luxury market is feeling the fallout. (Bye-bye, bling.) But it’s the holidays, and in the spirit of spoiling our loved ones, we came up with a list of some of the year’s more indulgent practicalities. Today, men’s satchels.

LEATHER SATCHELS

OUR TOP PICK:
Coach Thompson Mini Messenger ($328)

RUNNERS UP:
Brooks Brothers Oak Leather Messenger ($498)
Marc by Marc Jacobs Robbie G Messenger ($458)

Steve Olsen loves his Gucci leather satchel. The Seattle dispatcher carries it to work daily, totes his 3-year-old son’s paraphernalia in it on weekends and loads it up with books, magazines and electronics for long plane rides. It fits his style perfectly, says Olsen, walking the line between briefcase (“too traditional”) and backpack (“too college”). The only downside? “My wife calls it my ‘man purse,’” he sighs.

They may not have completely outgrown the nicknames yet (murse? European carryall?), but these bags are steadily making their way onto the shoulders of well-dressed men across the country; Louis Vuitton, for one, now offers just as many messenger as briefcase styles. The ideal satchel or messenger should be roomy enough to hold a laptop, pros say, but not big enough to pass as a weekend bag. (We suggest sticking with a width of 16 inches or less.)

And although color and style are a matter of personal taste, quality leather is nonnegotiable. Don’t be taken in by that leather-store smell, says Vasilios Christofilakos, a professor of accessories design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. High-quality leather is usually odorless, he says, and bags with a noticeable scent are often overcompensating for poor materials. The key to good leather is how it feels—sometimes referred to as “hand”—soft and supple. And don’t forget to check the interior; the stitching there should be just as neat and even as on the outside, with a lining that can handle daily assault by pointy-edged folders and uncapped pens.

According to our panel of experts, the sleek Coach [COH: 36.53, -0.44, -1.19%] Thompson Mini Messenger ($328) is the shoulder-candy equivalent of the Batmobile. But a closer look reveals that it’s more than just a pretty piece of cowhide. Stealthy pockets keep phones and wallets close at hand, and its simple snap closure isn’t bogged down with annoying straps or buckles. The only thing missing is booster rockets.

For more information
For more on retail outlets, check out our where to buy Men's Satchels article.

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