So, as fashion moves on, saying goodbye to London and hello to Milan, it should be noted that it is not just women’s wear on the catwalks that looks different, but men’s wear on the streets, too. Although the latest wave of early adopting fashionistas in New York and London are carrying what amounts to a handbag (small leather pochettes awkwardly dubbed the “murse”, or man’s purse) there is, says Carlos de Freitas, creative director of Dunhill, “an alternative”.
In the battle to keep men’s wear masculine, strong competition to the murse is appearing in the shape – usually rectangular, sometimes with flaps – of the pocket. Witness the fact that this season Dunhill has seen demand for one particular jacket soar: a dark, tailored, conservative style with four large outer pockets, not to mention a detachable gilet-style lining with up to five further pockets. “That’s a lot of pockets,” concedes de Freitas, “and I try not to fill them all, but it’s hard not to, especially when travelling.”
