Murses are purses - for guys.
 
Man purses, or murses, are popping up on runways in Milan, Paris and New York. Gucci recently featured drawstring bags and shoulder totes for men on their runways this past spring and fall. Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli all have their versions of the murse, ranging from small and strappy drawstring bags to larger shoulder totes.

There is no clear definition of what a murse is.

They look like purses, hence the name. Aside from the obvious things like make-up, tampons and birth control, murses hold a lot of the same things as regular purses, complete with extra pockets, zippers and clips to keep their owners organized. Laptop bags and briefcases tend to be a grey area.
 

To demonstrate how not to wear a murse, Simon (who did not want his last name used) hangs his notebook-sized bag's strap from his left shoulder, daintily resting his left hand on his "purse" while trying to keep a straight face in front of his laughing friends. He doesn't hold this pose for long; after a few seconds, he quickly lifts the bag's strap over his head.
 
"It's always over the shoulder, behind my back, hidden under my coat," he confesses.

Murses have not gotten a lot of bad press. In 1999, American right-wing political activist Jerry Falwell claimed Tinky-Winky the Teletubby was homosexual because the character, among other things, sometimes carries a red purse. This may be an extreme case, but many guys worry about the image they project with a murse.

Tyler Gilmore-Ford from London, Canada, needs a man purse to carry his stuff to work. But he refuses to buy his own. He borrows his roommates'.
 
"I feel very girly wearing a man purse," he says. "I don't think I've ever seen a man with a man purse other than my roommate and I make fun of him all the time."
 
Terry Fogarty manages Kelly's Luggage in Halifax, Canada, says murses are less common outside the world's fashion hotspots.
 
"Probably for 25 years we've been carrying this and they've never been very common, but it's very conservative in this area," he says. "In Europe it would be a different story, same in Montreal."
 
Still, Simon says he appreciates the benefits of having a murse, even if it is just for work.
 
"It's the most functional bag I've ever owned; good for food, snacks, cell phone," he says. "There really isn't much that you can't get in this thing."

The man on-the-go needs a bag with a shoulder strap, although some smaller bags are more like what Europeans call a grip, which does not have a shoulder strap, making it the male equivalent of the woman's clutch.

Also available on the market are bags with a waist strap so you can use it as a fanny pack; while these definitely are not to be confused with purses, they look significantly dorkier than even the girliest of handbags. Go figure.