Business columns: The death of the briefcase
Once a part of the standard male business uniform, the briefcase “is fast going the way of the bowler hat,” said Rhymer Rigby in the Financial Times.
Rhymer Rigby
Financial Times
Let us bid farewell to a former staple of office life, said Rhymer Rigby: the briefcase. Once a part of the standard male business uniform, the briefcase “is fast going the way of the bowler hat.” One reason for its demise is that with the advent of computers and other technologies, complicated presentations can now be stored on a device that fits in our pockets. But it’s the relaxation of office dress codes that truly spelled the end of the briefcase. With every man in the office dressed in khakis and open-collar shirts, the stiff black briefcase is “too stuffy to stay.” But what will replace it? Backpacks are fine if you’re a college kid, but otherwise, they just “make you look very, very junior.” Man bags—purses for men, basically—“have never truly shaken off their alien Euro air.” Simple plastic shopping bags might do if you’re very confident or too rich to care. But “none of these pieces of male luggage has the kind of universal business acceptability that the briefcase once had.” Perhaps it’s time for “Briefcase 2.0”?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - September 16, 2024
Monday's cartoons - a second assassination attempt, eating pets, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'If this is a race, China has a commanding lead'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Issue of the week: Raising the minimum wage
feature How will raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour affect the economy?
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: Breaking up the big banks
feature There’s a growing realization that we need to end the taxpayer guarantees that Dodd-Frank left in place.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: The death of daily deals?
feature This is a “winter of discontent” for daily deal companies Groupon and LivingSocial.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: CEOs tackle the deficit
feature America’s top business leaders sent Congress an open letter urging immediate action on the $16 trillion national debt.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: Does Wall Street need speed limits?
feature High-frequency trading now accounts for as much as 70 percent of market volume.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: Victory for a bank watchdog
feature A New York state financial regulator accused a London-based bank of laundering $250 billion for Iran.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: A former megabanker’s conversion
feature Sanford Weill, the architect of the modern megabank, now favors the end of too-big-to-fail banks.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Issue of the week: Libor scandal rocks banking
feature The interest rate scandal is just beginning and may soon engulf at least a dozen other major banks.
By The Week Staff Last updated