Utility and style: two words that always become the deciding factor when I’m on the hunt for a new bag. With the new school year upon us and the planning of vacations in the fall and winter, it’s time to get your baggage in check.
QUICK TIPS
- It’s always nice to buy one that looks amazing, but if it starts to look not quite functional at second glance, pass on it.
- If you have an iPad or laptop, make sure it has a padded lining (i.e. fleece).
- If you have a heavy load (i.e. textbooks or work files) make sure it has a reinforced bottom of leather or a sturdy canvas.
- Since a bag becomes a major part of your day, make sure you can live with it.
WHAT KIND OF BAG DO I NEED?
- TOTES: whether shopping for groceries or adding books to your library, it’s a stylish alternative to the plastic bag. Many stores like American Apparel, Barnes & Noble, and even Whole Foods provide a world of fun, unique options to the otherwise basic canvas tote bag.
Burberry: Fall 2013, Source: Style.com
- MESSENGER BAGS/BRIEFCASES: for the office or the classroom, the way you carry yourself is revealed in how you carry your belongings. Being organized doesn’t have to come with the price of sacrificed style, many brands like Jack Spade and Salvatore Ferragamo give a sartorial edge to the mundane uniform of the nine to five.
Ralph Lauren: Fall 2013, Source: Style.com
- DUFFLE BAGS/WEEKENDERS: a trip to the gym for a routine workout or a getaway to your favorite destination calls for keeping your belongings zipped up in style. Whether it be the ever-popular Marc by Marc Jacobs duffle in mesh or leather, the fun pop of color from the line of duffle bags by American Apparel, a Jack Spade weekender (just for clarification, a weekender is the love child of a suitcase and a duffle) or the heavy twill canvas weekender offered by Herschel Supply Co., there’s never a moment when you can’t have both utility and style.
“A weekender is the love child of a suitcase and a duffle.”
Hermes: Fall 2013, Source: Style.com