So, I am graduating in may and will be *grown-up* I suppose. I've convinced my mom to buy me a "breifbag" to start my new career! I have a Coach bag that I love, but after 3 years of law school, it is almost dead. So, for you working gals out there...what kind of bag will be best? I want something that is primarily for work, but that I could throw my Trish McEvoy planner and wallet into as well. I like some of the totes that jen posted the other day. I just don't know how big I should go. I think I want a basic black to start out with. I need some ideas.
What kind of practice are you going into? What's your budget? I work at a large NY law firm and I think if anything, we may have a little more flexibility than those in a smaller practice-- even as a litigator I'm not in court that much so I don't have to worry about being super-conservative. You probably want something that will hold 8.5 x 11 paper so you can take stuff home.
I have a Botkier trigger (the big one) and it actually is big enough to hold my laptop (which is miniscule) and a file. It is really roomy and holds a lot of other stuff too. A LV cabas mezzo might also work-- I have a cabas piano and it is too small to hold papers. I have a Tod's D-bag-- I think it is medium-- and it holds basically everything I own. Huge and roomy.
Other girls carry bigger Marc Jacobs bags that are big enough for shoes and stuff. Honestly, it is nice to have something that is a proper briefcase (or at least a rectangular bag that will hold files)-- but especially early on, it isn't such a huge deal. You can always carry files in your hand or use a litigation bag.