Backpacks have a strange reputation and quite some interesting history: while recommended and considered perfect for school kids and young college goers, they are frowned upon when mixed with adult professional outfits. Backpacks have something youthful, laidback, cheerful and casual about them and not many agree such traits work best with uptight corporate environments.
If you take a look at a styling magazine for men, you will realize that wearing a backpack and a suit is considered a mortal sin for an active young urban male professional who usually commutes or moves around a lot. Is the Fashion Police thinking the same about women as well? Are young professional ladies allowed to wear backpacks with their suits, dresses and formal outfits? Let’s see a few tips, tricks and styling ideas on how to make the backpack work with anything!
Why Not Wear a Backpack?
The backpacks’ detractors say that backpacks are meant for kids and teenagers. They are meant for hikers and bikers, for outdoor adventurers, for military personnel, campers and unstylish people. Under no circumstance a woman can wear a backpack with a business suit, a cocktail dress or a pair of pumps and some pearl jewelry. The main issue with backpacks is that they diminish and undermine your professional look.
Why Wear a Backpack?
Men and women alike wear backpacks because they are the most comfortable bags in existence: they let your hands move freely; they keep your back straight, they can hold many useful things and they can look extremely well with almost any type of outfit. Many backpacks are gender friendly in design nowadays, not bounding women to wear purses and men to wear briefcases anymore. Fluidity, versatility, comfort, efficiency and a positive attitude – this is what backpacks bring to the table.
How to Pull Off a Stylish Professional Look with a Backpack?
1. The Canvas Backpack
If you are a young woman who works in a corporate casual environment, we recommend the stylish mid-sized Serbags canvas backpacks with leather accents and metallic buckles and finishing. They add a touch of elegance to a casual look composed of either jeans or a laidback summer skirt based outfit. Such backpacks are sturdy but don’t look at all manly or heavy-weight and they do come with a vintage or urban flair to match all your clothes. Moreover, they have enough room for our modern stuff, from laptops to music players, work files, phone and other gadgets.
2. The Leather Backpack
If you feel canvas is too casual and laidback for your professional attire, then go for a full-leather backpack. In order to keep your femininity and composed look, we recommend the leather backpacks with little to no visible trimmings, buckles and zippers, in a rounded, harmonious design. If you want to carry a tablet, a small notebook, some papers, your phone and cosmetics for a long day at work and a casual night out with friends after hours, then a medium sized leather backpack in black or classic brown will do the trick. You can also opt for the minimalist, microscopic leather backpack with metallic finishing carrying your smartphone and your lipstick – as sometimes, this is everything a successful business woman needs to rock the world.
3. The Designer Backpack
You can look like you have just descended from a cover of this year’s magazine with a trendy designer backpack. When it comes to bags and accessories, famous labels and houses put the backpack right where it always belonged: on the runway. And if Burberry, Chanel, Valentino or Dolce & Gabbana think that backpacks can be paired with high heels, trendy patterns, sheer fabrics or vintage-inspired outfits, they are hard to contradict. Designer backpacks come in interesting color palettes and hues, sporting everything from charcoal black leather to faux leather white chained models. They come with colored tassels, quilted exteriors, silver shining fabrics and sweet pinks and whites. They range in size and can be adapted to any urban chic outfit for active women who know they deserve not only freedom of movement, but also plenty of style.
Do you wear a backpack to the office, or do you keep it for outdoor and casual occasions? Do you agree it diminishes a woman’s professional look or do you think it enhances it in a stylish manner?
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