It's the New Yorker in Me: 28 Cool and Practical Bags Perfect for Schlepping

oversize-summer-bags-308462-1690227312240-main

(Image credit: @ceciliemoosgaard)

New Yorkers are experts at fitting their entire lives into their bags. When you're commuting to the office at 9 a.m., with a spin class booked for 6 p.m., and drinks with friends after, schlepping becomes a lifestyle. And it seems to be a transferable skill, too. I moved to the West Coast three years ago, and I'm still packing a day's worth of outfits and an abridged skincare routine in my purse. I know the fashion world is still riding high on the mini bag trend, but it's time to get practical—as far as weekdays are concerned, the bigger the bag, the better. 

You quickly realize a few things once packing everything becomes your daily ritual. For example, the cutest bags are ill-equipped for the task of schlepping, and sourcing bags that are both stylish and functional is an art. As someone with years of experience, I assembled the coolest bags suitable for the task. Whether the object is to be hands-free or find a bag that works for the office and everything in between, you'll find it all ahead.

oversize-summer-bags-308462-1690227405723-main

(Image credit: @endlesslyloveclub)

Up next: The Allure of the "Midrange" 

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor forBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing , focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.