Well, with the rebirth of ’90s cool, knapsacks have found their way out of the schoolyard and onto the stylish shoulders of many a street style star, as well as celebs like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Olivia Palermo.
In 2011, when the Olsen twins debuted a $39,000 alligator-skin backpack for their label The Row, many scoffed at the idea of such a high-fashion (high-priced) rucksack. Fast forward to when the bag hit stores, and it sold out at Barneys and on Net-a-Porter almost immediately. The twins later launched another noteworthy version, this time with the help of artist Damien Hirst, at an even heftier price of $55,000.
As the fashion clock winds back to the era of Beverly Hills 90210, Dr. Martens and Courtney Love, it only seems natural that these bags would make their way to the top of our lust list.
But there’s another design feature that sets these stylish backpacks apart from the handbag pack and it has us completely enraptured. Instead of slugging a massive tote hiked up on one shoulder and filled to the brim with our everyday essentials, the backpack evenly distributes weight onto both shoulders rather than just the one, and allows for hands-free errand-running.
Pack a little. Pack a lot. Save money with fewer trips to the chiropractor or masseuse. And relive your younger days, when your bag was packed, your hands were free, and adventure stretched out before you.
Here are some of our favorite packs at every price.