Men eye the woman's purse
THE WEEK India|December 08, 2024
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
Men eye the woman's purse

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.

This story is from the December 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

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This story is from the December 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

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