A holdall you can chuck in the back of the car and that's capacious enough to let you dither over which outfit to take and then pack them all anyway, smart enough to make you feel smug instead of mortified when a porter looms into view - and doesn't look like everyone else's - gets any weekend off to a good start, especially when you don't even have to rouse yourself from the sofa to buy it.
APC canvas and leather holdall
In light brown canvas with tough dark leather straps, this could take a man to a smart hotel, beachhouse or safari lodge. But if he thinks, "No, don't like it," he can send it back, free of charge, because now there is a man's version of the customer-friendly site that has been delighting (if not bankrupting) women for so long. Measures 46cmx26x27. Dh1,486, plus Dh114 p&p, from Mr Porter (www.mrporter.com; 00 44 203 471 4090).
Maison Martin Margiela bag
In sand-tone leather with white stitching, this seems to us to be the perfect hot-weather holdall. It's lined with canvas and comes with a removable shoulder strap, press-stud side tabs and an outside pocket. Measures 54cmx36x22. Dh3,926, plus Dh114 p&p, from Mr Porter (www.mrporter.com; 00 44 203 471 4090).
Mulberry Alexa weekend bag
You have the handbag, now buy the oversized version, which will let you cram in a party dress as well as hiking boots, high heels and a sweater or three. In buffalo leather, durable and tough, and genuinely improved by a bit of battering. 52cmx35x24, Dh6,966, plus Dh114 p&p (www.net-a-porter.com; 00 44 203471 4510).
