Is Britain ready for gemstone studded man bags?

(Photo:uk prom dresses)

Are we set for man bags at dawn? That’s the question raised by London Collections: Men this week, where designers upped the ante on the humble men’s accessory with bags that came brightly printed, richly decorated and lavishly embroidered.

The rise of the man bag has come hand-in-hand (or tote in hand) with the evolution of the metrosexual; he needs a roomy number to cart his hair wax and moisturiser in, after all.

We’ve had the fashion rucksack, the shopper and the man clutch, not to mention a roster of pouches, attaches and carpet bags.

And alongside the gentlemanly offerings in leather and crocodile, unveiled this week from the likes of Gieves & Hawkes and Tom Ford, came bags that were unashamedly ornamental and adorned.

Burberry Prorsum’s large tote bags have become a collection constant, with last season’s coming in painterly dashes and florals.

At Monday’s show Christopher Bailey took that sense of exuberance a step further by announcing a model called The Carryall, with versions in mirrored mosaic patterns, leopard print and floral batik, as well as rainbow bright, fringed clutches.

At Moschino’s AW15 show, Jeremy Scott sent forth a riotous, take-no-prisoners collection that proposed acid bright, patent leather floral tote bags and grey felt rucksacks and bum bags studded with knuckle duster, spangly gemstones ideal for the modern showman-about-town.

Utilitarian, ‘hurl-your-gym-kit – in-and-go’ pieces these are not.

At JW Anderson, the Irish designer presented neat black quilted “camera” bags and at Hardy Amies, designer Mehmet Ali debuted a solid grey weekender with primrose and navy degrade fading. So when does a man bag become a hand bag?

The lines are a-blurrin’, but the super sizes of some of this week’s accessories require a hefty amount of grunt and forearm muscle to carry them (that hardware and leather isn’t light; the modern man bagger is nothing if not dedicated). So are you man enough?Read more at:prom dresses 2015