Sign up or log in to customize your list. — which offered a weak outlook in its earnings report Thursday — should expend more of its efforts on the man purse. After all, murse-mania hit a new high in 2014 — and experts say the man purse will continue its proliferation in the coming years. According to data released this week by research firm The NPD Group, even as sales of women’s bags fell, sales of men’s bags jumped 35% in 2014 (and unit sales were up 17%), totaling $2.3 billion and making up nearly a quarter of the total industry results. “Last year’s double-digit unit and dollar sales increases clearly make the men’s segment the one to watch in 2015,” the NPD report reveals. “Men are purchasing more bags than ever before, and wearing bags of all types.” And it isn’t just duffel bags the fellas are buying. Men’s handbags were the fastest-growing segment within the men’s bag industry, with unit sales jumping 47% in 2014 (compared with a 5% decline for women’s handbags) to 4 million total units and dollar sales of $283 million, almost triple what they were in 2013.

What’s more, men’s tote bag unit sales jumped 11% over that period, to 3.9 million units in 2014 and dollar sales of $90 million, almost double what they were in 2013 (while women’s tote bag unit sales fell 15%). Guys, It's Time to Grab a Man Purse(2:30) Duffle bags, messenger bags and even man purses will continue to be big trends among stylish men. MarketWatch's Catey Hill discusses the trend with Tanya Rivero. A number of things are driving the man-purse trend. One is the “casualization” of American fashion, as more Americans wear casual clothes like sweatpants (which often don’t have pockets) as everyday wear, says Marshal Cohen, the chief industry analyst of The NPD Group. And as workplaces have gotten more casual (but not completely casual) the traditional options for the man bag (briefcase or backpack) often come across as overly formal or overly casual, notes Austin-based fashion blogger Bri Thomas. Another reason the man-purse is a big trend can be found in our newfound love of active wear (which also tends not to have pockets) as everyday wear, Cohen says.

“We have become a nation of athletes without doing athletics,” Cohen explains. Furthermore, a slimmer cut for pants, jackets and shirts is now on-trend for men — which means men may struggle to fit a wallet, phone and keys in their pockets, says Leesa Evans, a Los Angeles-based stylist and costume designer. q100 backpackSome men, of course, don’t see the point of carrying a man purse — especially if they’re the minimalist type who carry just a wallet and phone. zuca backpack australiaAnd as fashion designer Donny Joseph points out, rightfully so: “Keys, wallet and phone typically come to mind as the essentials that a man needs to have on him…most can be carried in one’s front or back pocket.” l4d2 backpack

(That is, assuming your on-trend, slim-fitting pants aren’t preventing that.) Others don’t feel that handbags are a good look for men. “They don’t want to seem too girly,” says Thomas — not that this is a bad thing, just not the look some men are going for. vera bradley laptop backpack in indigo popStill, Thomas defends the male handbag for those who have a lot to carry (note to the fellas: us ladies are sick of shoving your water bottles and magazines in our already overstuffed purses). godfreys backpack vacuum cleanersThey’re “a great option for someone who finds a backpack too casual and a briefcase too stuffy,” Thomas says. backpack ke kunmingSo if you’re tempted by the man purse (look at all the stuff you can now carry with you!), but still unsure how to rock one without looking like a lady (unless you want to look like one, of course), here are a few tips.

“Look for classic, deep shades like navy, forest green, deep cranberry and of course black or brown,” recommends Samantha Brown, a stylist for stylist matching firm OkMyOutfit. “Keep embellishments and hardware minimal to avoid looking overly trendy or like your bag is borrowed from the ladies.” Joseph says that men should avoid overly branded, printed or decorated bags and pick “manly” fabrics like canvas, nylon or leather; Evans suggested rustic, textured leather and gray, wool flannel in particular. Try a messenger bag For fellas just dipping their toes into the man-purse world, a messenger bag (rather than a handbag or tote bag) is a good starting point, says Thomas — as these bags tend to be relatively neutral and most closely resemble a laptop bag, which many men are already used to lugging around. Brown says that you should “look for styles that have both a short and long strap (the long strap alone can read overly feminine).” Kenneth Cole and Cole Haan are among the stores that make nice, neutral leather messenger bags that can replace a more traditional briefcase.

Added bonus: The messenger bag can be slung cross-body so you keep your hands free. Pick the right size “Men’s bags should be proportionate,” says Joseph. “A taller man should not be carrying a smaller bag, and a shorter guy shouldn’t have a larger tote.” Evans says that when figuring out the size you need, something that can fit your iPad or laptop or larger is appropriate for most men; but you should also consider how tall or wide you are. If you aren’t sure on the correct sizing for your man purse, ask the salesperson to help, explaining that you want something that looks appropriate for your height and weight. Be confident — and don’t call your bag a “man purse” Still nervous about wearing a man purse? Evans says that “confidence really sells basically anything” (yes, even the murse) and notes that men often prefer calling their male handbag a “satchel” rather than something like a “man purse” or “murse.”Drone of the Day: Pointer William M. Arkin ·

Little heralded or known, in the actual revolution that brought small drones into virtually every combat unit of all four military services, Pointer was a pioneer. Developed first for the Marine Corps in 1986, Pointer was the first hand-held drone—45 pounds and transportable in a backpack. They were used in Desert Storm in 1990 and ended up being the first drones on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11, later serving in Iraq. Why Didn't AFRICOM See the Tunisia Attacks Coming? The slaughter of 28 people in the Tunisian tourist city of Sousse has yet to be directly attributed to ISIS, but given the extremist organization’s call for its followers to escalate their attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, it seems likely. Of course the response to Tunisia will be we must do more and where’s the Marines?, but lost in all of this might be accountability for what the United States is already up to. It is all over the continent—U.S. intelligence, diplomats and military personnel are scurrying and turning Africa into the latest theater of war.

Whatever they are doing, it clearly didn’t prevent today’s attack, maybe because our African mission seems to be as concerned with ordering stationery and writing regulations as fighting terrorists directly or protecting civilians. What the Times Doesn't Tell You About Seal Team 6 “SEAL Team 6: A Secret History of Quiet Killings and Blurred Lines” reads the headline in last weekend’s New York Times. My name is listed as a contributor at the end of four pages of derring-do. Because I worked for the Times last year and have no interest in joining the Shit-on-the-New-York-Times Brigade, I have nothing to say about the article itself except to say I’m glad, especially for the reporters, that it finally saw the light of day. Jade Helm Questions Are Coming From An Unexpected Place The Pentagon sucks at explaining anything sensitive to the American public and the true scope of Jade Helm, the military exercise scheduled for this summer, is being hidden behind happy talk from one side and mass hysteria from the other.

You Should Be Angry About Jade Helm Even If You're Not Crazy The bullet holes punched into the center mass of this pistol-packing suburban soccer mom weren’t fired by ISIS terrorists preparing for a shopping-mall assault, or by local cops training against an active shooter at the local school. They were fired by a Marine during special operations “realistic military training,” or RMT, in Gulfport, Mississippi. The US Saved Canada from Nuclear Terror Last Month In the dark, they come in, shielded from public view by a police perimeter and an inner line of uniformed guardians. The target is reserved for the Tier I forces: They’ve practiced hundreds of times, rappelling onto the roof, banging down doors, hop-scotching down corridors, sweeping rooms. When it’s all clear, the scientists are ushered in with their detection gear and their “render safe” machines and tools. The orders are crystal clear: Do everything and anything to get to the nuke before it explodes, take no chances, shoot to kill.