If they continue to be called handbags -- then they may well not catch on at all.

Call them something else and they more than likely will!

As speed of business and everyday life continues to grow, men too are going to need something small enough to carry various daily bits and pieces in, without subjecting their pockets to a barrage of seam bursting bits and pieces.

For majority of week, men are catered for quite adequately with briefcases or laptop bags. Many now cut straight to chase and pile everything into a backpack, caring less for appearance and more for practicality of being able to walk around easily.

But consider for a minute those trips where a business case isn't required. Maybe they aren't going out and about with their laptop or files of papers for day. Would they still need a laptop bag or messenger bag?

Unlikely!

So maybe advent of man carrying some form of male handbag isn't that far away.

Indeed, designer names such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tommy Hilfiger already market bags specifically for men. They obviously believe market is there and that it's worth tapping into sooner rather than later.

Nor are they just your standard duffle or messenger bags.

They are specific, cut down versions of these, more suitable for carrying wallet, car keys and mobile phone easily than lugging big and heavy items. Slip in a PDA or iPod and you're away.

It's more a query of can we buy them for our wife or girlfriend? (I suspect that in some cases it may well be a question of can we buy them for our wife AND our girlfriend/mistress!)

Now -- I'll be first to admit then when it comes to handbag 'buyable' wives, I'm very lucky.

I can ask my long suffering wife an obviously loaded question such as "So what handbag would you most like to own?" and have her forget question and answer she gave within a matter of hours.

Looking through a magazine or catalog, idly flicking pages and throwing in mild questions such as "Do you think that looks nice?" or "Wow -- wouldn't that go with your suede skirt?" are seen by her as nothing more than a passing question, asked in a moment of idle curiosity.

The fact that queried item then appears for her birthday or mothers day or at Xmas is still a huge surprise to her, causing her to question how I knew she'd like that particular style/color etc.

I've also managed, after 23 years together and quite a few coaching sessions that I'm sure I wasn't even aware of, to be able to see for myself exactly type of thing she'd like. I can even boast modestly that my wife will ask me what I think about a particular piece of clothing and actually consider my answer before buying or not buying, assured as she is that I will reply honestly and with love and kindness. (Although joke question occasionally thrown in is always "Does my bum look big in this" to which standard joke answer is "Do I look stupid?")

So I can -- within reason -- look at something in designer handbag lines and think to myself "Yes, she'd like that" and actually be right.

But apparently - some store assistants don't agree with me on that scale.

I recently went to LV store in Selfridges, Bond Street of London to buy my wife a Xmas present. I had gone in with a mind to buy her a Papillon 26 but, as ever, was open to power of seeing and deciding as opposed to deciding before seeing.

It isn't largest store by far, being more of a concession stand size, situated just inside main doors at west of main building. More than 15 people in there and cat knows it safe from being swung, you'd never get it over your head to start with!

Being as how I was going in during a snatched lunch hour between meetings, I was dressed in what would be described as City Worker style, i.e. short hair, smart dark suit, shirt and tie.

Now I do fully understand that, in pecking order of who gets served in a designer handbag shop fastest, I rank fairly close to bottom of ladder, if not being one who actually holds ladder for others to climb!

I was quite prepared for looks of curiosity from female customers and even odd stiletto on instep in fight to get to counter. I wasn't prepared, however, for a store with only 7 people in it -- me, two other customers, three members of staff and a security guard.

Taking this surprising amount of space to be a good omen I decided to have a little stroll round store, left to right, starting with Damier items and finishing with most anticipated area, Multicolore and Suhali ranges.

The stroll and look went exactly according to plan, a few ideas springing to mind as I took a leisurely wander past shelves of rich, leathery smelling prizes.