Killer clutches | Bangkok Post: lifestyle

MEN'S FASHION

There has always been a thick, discrete line in terms of what comes to mind for men and women when talking about the word "clutch". It used to be either something under your foot or something snuggled up under your arm _ but that's the past. Today, the line has become increasingly blurred, and the notion that men should only use large, heavy business-appropriate briefcases or bulky rucksacks when travelling is no longer the norm.

In fact, men's accessories have shrunk in both size and formality over the past few seasons. Unlike women's handbags, which are more to do with style and aesthetics, men's accessories are more about function; if we need square briefcases or the more casual messenger bags _ a size that befits a few folders of documents and a notebook for a day's work. The transformation of conventional travel bags for men is the aftermath of the changes in lifestyle, technology and use. And with notebooks being replaced by iPads, urban office men no longer need to travel with such inflexible, geometric 007 sqaure briefcases. This has ushered in the arrival of trendy portfolio bags that are _ instead of being designed to be carried by the handle _ designed to be comfortably grasped with one hand, like a woman's clutch purse.

Naturally, though, donning a clutch is perhaps the hardest image for men to accept, especially when the word itself lends to a dainty accessory that women carry dearly whenever they go to any social event or party. Therefore, it would be better for men to think of carrying a clutch as carrying an iPad _ holding it between your fingers or close to your body.