It’s time for another wave of college and grad school students to begin making their way out into the full-time working world, and tradition dictates they do so with gifts from family and friends to help them embark on the next stage of their lives. Surely someone else in the family is already taking care of the Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards, so if there’s a new graduate in your life and you need to shower her with a gift, might we suggest a luxe-but-discreet new work bag?
Figuring out what sends exactly the right message for a young woman in a new workplace can be tough, and the changing American job landscape and the nature of work itself don’t make it any easier. The bag that would look right on a graphic designer at a creative agency would also look totally out of place on a newly minted litigator, and both would probably be too extreme for, say, a customer service rep at an insurance company. For all of those situations, though, a neutral leather bag without obvious branding would be an asset, and we’ve assembled those bags at a wide range of prices and for a wide range of styles, below. (Plus a couple of colorful pieces, for those of us who get to have some fun at work.)
3.1 Phillip Lim Nova Tote
$695 via Barneys
ALC Luke Bucket Bag
$595 via Barneys
APC Sac Minimal Leather Bag
$580 via Net-a-Porter
Building Block Cylinder Duffel Bag
$780 via SSENSE
Coach Rogue Bag
$795 via Coach
Cuero & Mor Cross Body Bag
$395 via Shopbop
Cynthia Rowley Miranda Tote
$295 via Anthropologie
DKNY Saffiano Tote
$328 via Bloomingdale’s
Eddie Borgo Pepper Saddle Bag
$1,450 via Net-a-Porter
Gucci Swing Tote
$1,350 via Gucci
Kara Tie Tote
$475 via Shopbop
Kate Spade Milton Lane Shawn Tote
$348 via Nordstrom
Lodis Stephanie Collection Scarlet Tote
$358 via Nordstrom
Loeffler Randall Rider Bag
$475 via Shopbop
Longchamp Penelope Tote
$935 via Nordstrom
Madewell Transport Satchel
$188 via Madewell
Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag
$1,195 via SSENSE
Marc Jacobs Madison North-South Tote
$595 via Bloomingdale’s
MCM Claudia Shopper Tote
$920 via Bloomingdale’s
Michael Kors Eleanor Tote
$990 via Nordstrom
Salvatore Ferragamo Fill Up Tote
$1,390 via Nordstrom
Skagen Anja Copenhagen Tote
$295 via Nordstrom
Tory Burch Cass Large Tote
$575 via Tory Burch
WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie Mirabel Shopper Tote
$925 via Barneys
This is so helpful and perfectly-timed! Love the price points as well.
How about Cuyana tote for $175? Affordable for the first job’er.
The Cuyana tote looks exactly like the Madewell tote. That’s probably why they didn’t include it.
Wasn’t complaining that it wasn’t on the list. Just another suggestion to fellow readers. But thanks for the input 🙂
My bad!
These bags are beautiful and some are better priced then others. We have plenty of designer handbags for discount prices. Check us out http://www.atticaclothing.com
A very simple explanation. And contains very useful information. Thank you very much for this excellent article. Your methods will use for my blog. gmail sign in
Yes, they’re very similar. I’ve handled both in their stores and they look and feel great — you can see the quality of the construction (and they both come in more than one color). My only quibble with the pair is that the handles are just a bit to short to go over the shoulder easily when wearing a winter coat. It’s a shame the handles aren’t a smidge longer. This is a problem I’ve encountered with several Ferragamo totes, which bugs me because I really do love the brand!