A burden off men's shoulders Handy: the messenger style has been co-opted Like so many symbols of the business world, the man's briefcase may finally be going the way of the bowler hat and the three-piece suit. As Don McGown, a partner at law firm Allen & Overy, says, "it's inevitable that as we move to­wards the paperless office, the briefcase will become much less used." For years, the briefcase was the only broadly ac­ceptable bag men could carry. The "manbag" enjoyed a couple of shortlived vogues, but essentially the choice was briefcase or nothing. Now, however, men have almost as many bags to choose from as women. Neil Henderson, managing director of St Luke's advertising agency, says he notes a range of bags in use among male emp­l­oy­ees. They might be messenger bags or flight bags. You see smaller retro sports bags, with brands such as Gola, and Brady bags, which have a fishing and shooting heritage. In fact, he says, "there's only one briefcase in the office - mine." He carries a modest, practical Muji briefcase bec­ause he often needs to use a laptop out and about: "As mine is the only one in our office, people are always borrowing it when they need to carry laptops." Among technology start-ups, the briefcase is also a rare sight. Felix Leuschner, founder of London-based women's fashion website StylistPick, says: "In the east London tech community, you see most­ly backpacks . . . They [briefcases] are viewed as old-fashioned - and not in cool way. He favours American rucksack brand Supreme. Partly, it is a question of appearance. Imran Amed, founder of the website Businessoffashion, says: "Many people's days begin early in the morning and end late in the evening. So the bag needs to look ap­propriate for both day and evening. Mr Henderson adds: "When people have a Brady bag, it looks like they're not slaves to their jobs, even if they are." Function is at least as important, however. Mr Amed says: "I recently worked on the design of a bag with [luxury bag des­ign­er] Bill Amberg, which was designed around modern lifestyles. Part of the thinking was that we carry more and different things around with us. Fifteen years ago it was just documents. Now it's more likely to be technology and gym clothes. The resultant Calgary Bag has mesh pockets for gym kit, pockets for iPhones and iPads, a leather exterior and a padded interior to protect electronic devices. Documents have not disappeared entirely. But, as Mr McGown points out, "if you need a document you can usually print it at home." Another driver has been smartphones. Mr Henderson says: "If you have a messenger bag slung over your shoulder, your hands are free to use a device such as an iPhone. With a briefcase, you only have one hand. For some men, technology has eliminated the bag question entirely - they just carry a smartphone in their pocket. But tablets and laptops, even the tough ones, need bags. Mr Amed says: "You don't want to carry an iPad around in your hand." So bags are unlikely to disappear - and may even be remarkably briefcase-like. Simon Nicholls, partner at technology investment bank GP Bullhound, says the business is virtually paperless: "I have a MacBook Air and can even access our systems via an iPhone app." But he does use a briefcase. It's a seriously slimline one and is actually a 40-year-old family heirloom that my father was given in Egypt in the 1970s. For 35 years it was too small, "but now my Mac fits into it perfectly and it has come into its own. Clearly, Egyptian briefcase makers in the 1970s were very forward-thinking. Meanwhile, more casual bags are available with briefcase qualities such as high-quality leather or pockets for the tools of work such as iPhones - quite different from what a bicycle courier might actually use. So, perhaps it's a case of "the briefcase is dead, long live the briefcase."