Ask Ant – Bag dilemma ?

Firstly guys, thank you for heeding my call for your sartorial conundrums, I was pleasantly surprised to see regular emails to the askant account seeking advise and calls for help on solving matters of problematic styling. I promise I will get through them and please keep ’em a coming to askant@ymail.com.

So first up is a stylish young man with an issue regarding looking his best when carrying his gym kit to and from that accursed fitness place. Basically, he’s asks –

Right, quick as a flash, I sprang into action. On inspection of this mighty fine piece of weekend luggage.

I do have to say, although I agree with you Ahmed, £655 is a little steep for something that, primarily you want to lug around your sportswear in. You have to see a purchase of this nature as an investment piece, this is something that you, SHOULD, be able to use for many years to come, for weekends away, holidays, business trips etc. The materials used on an object of this level will be some of the best leathers money can buy.

However, this was not what you were asking, so I sourced the great and the good of the UK High Street from Designer names to more humble price points, but something you do need to bear in mind when making a purchase of this nature, particularly with regard to luggage is, buy cheap buy twice. You get what you pay for when buying a leather weekend bag.

Nontheless, this is Ask Ant and answers to your problems is the name of my game. So option one is –

From the Espana retail giants Zara, Zara just seem to have come from nowhere to being major players in the style stakes when it comes to menswear and yet they still seem to want to keep somewhat underground with it too ???? This piece is a real bargain, but PLEASE remember the aforementioned maxim, buy cheap buy twice. Spain is known for its leather goods and the quality of them but the price is the price and at £79 it’s an unbelievable one, get it while stocks last !!! Buy two at that price.

Option two comes to us from Reiss’s Spring Summer Collection. Although this piece isn’t on their website at the moment it is available from their stores and in the requested Black. At £245 it is a little more but hey it’s not £655, it’s a really versatile and masculine weekend bag that you won’t be embarrassed to pick up at the luggage carousel on the next business trip. It’s just the job for slinging your gym togs into and it’s appearance will improve with age.

Finally, we have option 3, which is brought to us via the fantastic mr porter(.com). If you haven’t had a chance to check this

amazing emporium out yet, what have you been doing !!! let it be your first job after reading this. It carries everything you could possibly need and so much more, it does take itself a little too serious, but we all can’t be perfect. The bag in question is by Marc by Marc Jacobs and comes in at £470. Probably keep the name of the designer behind this bag from your girlfriend as he IS the King when it comes to girls handbags and you could find yourself, shall we say sharing this lil number. Ahmed, if this be your choice, strike while the irons hot as this piece is selling like the proverbially hot cake. As the learned ones at Mr Porter put it, “Whether heading to the gym or jetting off for a weekend away, this Marc by Marc Jacobs holdall bag will ensure you do it in style. Crafted from tough full grain black leather, it has rugged attitude, so pile in your essentials and go”.

So Ahmed all that is left for me to do is to tell you, the choice is yours ??? Let us know what your decision was and join us again next week for another style clinic.

A.M.