It's All in the Bag

Let’s talk about work bags shall we? A work bag to me, is a statement! It’s professional. You are seen on the train and trekking to and from your office every day in a suit and/or stylish threads, why would you ever skimp on your bag? When your bag is crap, your whole outfit is thrown off. Would you show up at an interview with a crappy bag? NO! So why would you allow yourself to have one on a daily basis? I see you every day on the train so I know it’s not a onetime thing!

Here is what a work bag is not:

A 99 Cent reusable bag that you picked up at LuLu Lemon or DSW. You pick these up at your favorite stores and you want everyone  to know that you love shoes or love yoga but in essence it just says “I am too damn cheap to buy myself a good work bag.” *

A paper bag from your favorite spa or store that starts out nice and pretty but after a week or two, it’s torn to bits. We get it. You want to show off that you went to Fancy-Schmancy spa or Fancy-Schmancy store but ya know what? Most of us go to Fancy-Schmancy spa’s and  most of us go to Fancy Schmancy stores so guess what? We aren’t impressed AND we certainly aren’t impressed when it’s torn to bits and looks like a shredded mess! *

The reusable grocery bag. Just NO! Come on. That bright green Stop and Shop bag or that trashy logo of Market Basket…every day! No! Just…NO! *

*The exception to the above three bags is when you have a nice work bag and you have extra things to bring in to the office and it is a one time thing!

An LL Bean canvas back pack with your initials on it. What are you, in the fourth grade? Enough said!

And speaking of the fourth grade, your children’s back pack from last year is not an appropriate work bag. You look all suave in your crisp suit and then I see you from behind and…your put together clean look is gone! It’s the suburban mom/dad rockin’ their kid’s lasts year’s school bag that is florescent pink or bright primary colors. I bet you did pay an arm and a leg for it and your kid just couldn’t have the same book bag this year so you figure, you’ll get some use out of it, well sorry, you can’t do that without ruining your professional, put together look.

Pleather bags that are unraveling. Fine, pleather bags look nice and all but once they start getting stringy and unraveling, get a new one. You just look disheveled and, as my mom would say, “Like a Ragamuffin”. Sport your pleather bag, that’s fine but once it looks like crap, it’s time to move on and get a new one.

I may sound like a little snob, Ok, Ok, I know I do but honestly, you never know who you will see on the train or walking around town. You could be chatting it up with a hot shot that could give you your next big break and you look like a Ragamuffin with your crappy bag. My point is, with the simple purchase of a nice bag, you look polished and put together. That’s it! The end!