In the past year, a ton of press has been dedicated to defining metrosexuality, that cosmopolitan phenomenon that has involved hoards of straight men exploring fashion and trotting off to the salon for manicures. One of the most interesting manifestations of this trend is the male purse, otherwise known as the murse. This gender-bending gem, which is basically a cross between a book bag and a fanny pack, first made itself known on Seinfeld and Friends , and was greeted on both shows with the same comic rallying cry: "It's not a purse, it's a European carryall!" Whoever would have thought that hip-hop, the most macho subculture around, would pick it up?

A couple of weeks ago, my friend and I hit a rap show in Gastown. The venue was awash in a sea of tattoos, baggy jeans, throwback jerseys--and murses. About 80 percent of the thugged-out guys in the crowd had small shoulder bags slung casually across their backs, and those items weren't from Wal-Mart either; rather, they carried the emblems of Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. These tough, street-looking dudes were sporting the most metrosexual item yet!

Making our rounds, we questioned numerous guys. Most were pretty damned confident. "This is the shit," one bragged, holding up his murse like a trophy. A few were slightly less sure of themselves. "What am I supposed to do?" one whined, defensively. "I've got a lot of stuff to haul around: cellphone, keys, a wallet--it's hard!" We asked a few girls what they thought, too. "Contrary to what they all say, it is so a purse," a cute Cactus Club waitress offered. "It does look pretty hot on my honey, though."

Nicholas Chernen, area sales manager for menswear at Holt Renfrew (Pacific Centre), confirmed that the man purse has become exceedingly popular. "That item is huge right now," he said. "I can't keep them in stock." Chernen noted that the typical customer is a young urban male, often out shopping with a girlfriend. "These guys are very confident, very fashion-forward," he explained. "They know exactly what they want and they're very comfortable with their sexuality." He added: "It's funny, because this group is a fringe fashion group and yet they are absolutely driving the business right now."

Apparently, the Prada ($495) and Prada Sport ($395) "small messenger bags" and the Gucci "belt bag" ($560) are the top sellers. Last time Holt's had a shipment, it sold out so quickly that one sales associate never even got a chance to see them. (A male friend of mine told me that the Gucci waiting list is 50 guys long, but Chernen wasn't at liberty to divulge that information.)

Upstairs in the Louis Vuitton boutique, the murses were even pricier. An LV Geronimo "sport bag", made of coated canvas with a brown-on-brown checked design, runs $690; a classic monogrammed version goes for $650; the newest item, a Damier Géant "travel wallet/card case"--fashioned from a gorgeous high-density whipped cord--will cost you a whopping $1,220.

No doubt many men won't be able to afford that price tag. Anticipating outraged letters, I sought out a cheaper model of the designer murse, which I like to call the Everyman's Murse. Diesel's "hip bag" is made of a lightweight, black, windbreaker material, lined with fleece and accented with yellow stitching; it retails for $70 and is available at Below the Belt (various locations). This sleek, sexy murse will provide all you stylish cats out there with a bag to cart your crap around in, so you can flex your fashion sense without blowing your rent.

Natalie Edwards, a sales associate at Below the Belt, said that the product is selling like crazy. "All these guys come in and say, 'Um, I'm looking for this, um, bag,' " she explained with a laugh. "So I say, 'Oh, you mean the man purse?' and they're like, 'Yeah, I guess so.' They [Diesel] call it a hip bag, but it's just a nice way of saying purse . We all know it's not a hip bag; it's a purse. But that's cool, it's a really nice one."