Men eye the woman's purse

A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.

- NAMRATA ZAKARIA

I have to say I was guilty of a double take; the few times I have seen men carry women’s handbags, it has usually been celebrities on Instagram—never in real life.

I really have to give Karan Johar due credit for advocating the idea of the man-purse. He has been carrying designer bags from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Supreme for decades. But his newfound love for the ultimate ladies bag—the Hermes Birkin—has been a style switch. Johar’s envelope-pushing fashion game sees him wear heels on stage and carry women’s handbags at airports. When the young of India see such a major and successful celebrity normalize playful, androgynous styles, it allows them to have fun, too.

To drive the point home, Johar carried a gold sculptural installation piece by artist Sanju Birla to the Mumbai Art Fair last week. The piece was a melting gold Birkin, a recent purchase made by the filmmaker at designer Maheka Mirpuri’s charity auction at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in October.