At the end of the day I usually unpack my bag and see what story it has to tell. Maybe it's the on-the-go New Yorker in me, but the contents of my bag can at most times sum up my day. The taxi receipts, the sometimes forgotten to-do list, the PR paraphernalia, the PR swag or even that magazine I meant to peruse through usually come tumbling out. It's at this point that I recollect actually buying this or that or going to one event or several. Perhaps conveniently forgetting my day until it's strewn all over my bed is a New Yorker thing too. I could be waiting to be surprised by something or may have been too preoccupied to deal with that something then, so into the bag it went. Well the how and why is usually not as important as the eventually sifting through it for had it not been for my cross-body or hand held bottomless pit it would all have never reached home in the first place.
While every need for the 'Sherpa'-like bag may not be on every man's list, there is something to be said of a bag that can both house my day and still leave me looking appropriate for the affair. Sometimes I never know how my day will unfold or where it will leave me exhausted and battered but I'd also like to think that everything I tote with me that represents me could take the sophisticated licking too. It could be a simple evening of a few events or a full day in & out of appointments, rush hours, cabs and subways. The life of this New York stylist/menswear reporter is usually only stylish at the destination.
Perhaps this is one reason I like Martella Bags. They're designed with the intent to help one get through their day without sacrificing the fact that good design is, well, designed. So they have architecturally arched bags (Rotondo) that can be carried by hand until too heavy so then you conveniently turn it into a cool backpack. Do the same with the compartmentalized soft briefcase (Due Terzzi) and possibly pull a two part document holder (Gemelli) out of it for that quick lunchtime press preview. However, just make sure to carry the strap that conveniently turns the docu-holder into a tote since you may have to grab lunch on the fly before heading back to the office.
The scenarios the were conceived by Martella's designer Idan Yosefov are well hatched and considerate of the possible changing outcomes of a person's full day. This is why not only do his exquisite leather bags allow a person to adjust them to suit their ever-changing day, but they also have a non-gender appeal to them. His bags like the Rotondo, Cavallini or the Vecchietto in rich quality skins or even a shiny crisp pony hair appeal to the tactile and visual sensibitlities of individuals rather than a specific gender. Yosefov realizes that attaching a label to what is a man's bag or a women's bag is societal but that the bags that house our lives should be more personal and connect with our inner needs and desires.
My scenario is that I actually own Martella's wonderful natural color leather Doctors bag. Last Wednesday I had a round of press previews to attend while subsequently preparing for my Halloween festivities. Not only did my Doctors Bag house the brochures from the day, but also some 'day to day' sundries, two bottles of gifted tequila that I wasn't even expecting from a dear friend and part of my Halloween costume. Then the sweet little design detail so thoughtfully attached to the bottom of the bag discreetly housed my mini umbrella since the chance of rain was high. That's the appeal of Martella bags; it makes thinking about how to house the effects of your day a little easier while remaining savvy, functional and attractive. Which in a sense is kind of how I want my day to turn out anyway.
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