If in doubt, give a gift that is practical as well as stylish. This selection of bags, wallets and cardholders ticks both boxes.

Welcome to the fourth instalment of our gift guide series, in which we ask: where on earth did the year go? We’re a quarter of the way through our advent calendars and C-Day seems very real about now. MR PORTER is duty-bound to inform you that there are now just two weeks – two weeks! – remaining in which to complete your shopping and have any hope of receiving your purchases before the big day. Let’s get on with it, then, shall we?

This week, we’re focusing on wallets, cardholders and bags. Not just tasteful, thoughtful gifts, but ones with an inherent usefulness, which makes them perfect for hard-to-buy-for guys who would shrug at something purely ornamental. We may not all obsess over logos, leather patinations or intrecciato weaves, but trust us when we say there is not a man alive who would turn his nose up at a new cardholder. Why? Because it’s a handy thing to have.

We haven’t completely disregarded form in favour of function. The edit we’ve prepared for you below includes pieces from some of the most desirable designer brands in the world. So, whether your intended is a fan of sleek TOM FORD, rugged RRL or anything in between, you’re sure to find a gift that he’ll love.

Is your loved one still clinging on to his precious billfold despite not having been anywhere near an ATM in ages? Consider giving him one of these for Christmas. If he’s still a committed, cash-is-king kind of guy, then skip along to our next section instead.

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Cash may be heading out of fashion in certain areas of the world – Sweden expects to be rid of it entirely by 2025 – but let’s not get totally ahead of ourselves. The day will surely come when we’re all paying for our lattes with subcutaneous biometric implants, but until then, we’ll be keeping a place in our pockets for a proper billfold. Here are three of our favourites – perfect for guys who like to settle up in style.

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No longer the preserve of schoolboys and scruffy commuters, the backpack has shed its baggage, so to speak, and now has the support of a wide range of designer brands. The modern backpack wearer – a man with an eye on both function and style – can take his pick from TOM FORD, Prada, Brunello Cucinelli and many more of the world’s most exclusive designers, none of whom has sacrificed the hands-free practicality that made us all fall in love with the backpack in the first place.

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The weekend bag or holdall is a low-priority, high-desirability kind of bag. Low in priority because most situations that call for a weekend bag, you could probably just about get away with a backpack or a carry-on suitcase that you already own. High in desirability because it’s so much more elegant a solution than either of these. We’d wager that most men would like a weekend bag, but don’t actually own one, which, of course, puts them in prime gift territory. Here are three that we recommend.

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The briefcase is something of an anachronism, a relic of a time when men carried their important documents with them in paper, rather than digital, form. File them alongside vinyl records and mechanical watches, then, in the category of things that are functionally obsolete, but we choose not to let go. There’s still something very special about a briefcase. It has emotional resonance, old-world elegance. And if you buy your beloved one this Christmas, you’ll be giving him a gift that’s only going to get better with age.

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A new entry on our list, the belt bag (aka the bum bag or fanny pack), in the hands of brands such as Prada, Balenciaga and Givenchy, emerged as one of the high-fashion hits of 2018. Shopping for someone who likes to stay on top of the latest trends? You can’t go wrong with one of these.

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