Handbags and Gladrags

"Handbags and Gladrags" is a song written in 1967 by Mike d'Abo, who was then the lead singer of Manfred Mann. D'Abo describes the song's lyrical meaning as him "preaching to a girl" who feels material success is a sign she has "arrived", and reminding her to try think about other larger and longer-lasting values, and overall to not "grow up too quickly."

The first released version of the song was by Chris Farlowe in 1967, followed by Love Affair on their The Everlasting Love Affair album in 1968, and later interpretations by Rod Stewart (1969) and Stereophonics (2001) were also commercially successful. An arrangement by Big George was the theme for The Office starting in July 2001.

In 2004, the demo tape of the original version of the song was discovered in a closet belonging to bassist Mo Foster. It was amongst a collection of studio recordings d'Abo had made in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The collection was released in 2004, on the Angel Air label, under the title Hidden Gems & Treasured Friends.