Tip Sheet.(men's accesories; egg nog; vacations)

STYLE

Think Outside The Briefcase

By Jaime Cunningham

Youngjoon Park, an attorney at a Manhattan law firm, just wanted a decent-size bag where he could carry his cell phone, personal organizer and a book. "I didn't have enough space to carry my knickknacks, and if you stick everything in your coat pockets, it bulges," he says. But the messenger bag he'd been using was bulky and uncomfortable on the crowded subway, and most of the smaller bags he'd looked at seemed too feminine. "I would love to wear a backpack to work," says Park, "but I think that just doesn't look right." Finally, he laid eyes on a small black bag by Tumi and was sold.

After years of stuffing their pockets with cash, keys and eyeglasses, men finally have some options. A boom in high-tech accessories like PDAs, iPods, cell phones and personal organizers has spawned a parallel revolution in carrying cases. So, how does a guy choose a masculine- looking bag that fits his style? "Suede or leather messenger bags are rugged and handsome-looking and they have a lot of character," says Carson Kressley, the fashion guru on the American male-makeover show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." "They look great with jeans and they

can also look cool with a sportcoat or suit." Kal Ruttenstein, senior vice president of fashion direction at Bloomingdale's, says leather and canvas men's bags are a hot seller this holiday season--"and the more classic-looking they are, the better they seem to be doing." Here are some tip sheet picks, from the sober and practical to the colorful and hip.

Need to carry your laptop around along with other essentials? Tumi's ($195; tumi.com) Expandable Flap Messenger Bag can help you pack away your computer, cell phone, house keys and a PDA. It even includes a water-resistant umbrella pocket for those wet days.