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RETURN OF THE 'PACK
Suddenly stylish, backpacks are no longer just for schoolbooks or long underwear
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The new bag of the
season couldn't be further from the hardware-heavy satchels that have
been sending women to chiropractors for the past few years. Although
this is one trend to which the ladies who lunch probably won't fall
prey, the backpack
is indeed on its way to becoming as ubiquitous as a knockoff Goyard.
Check out a few of our favorites:
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Baggu
Backpack:
The Apple of the reusable tote world, Baggu
is best known for bringing good design to a product category dominated
by bulky fabrics and cringeworthy slogans. (Please tell us that when you
use your "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" tote, you turn it inside out.) While
Baggu's classic style is the perfect vessel for hauling home a farmer's
market bounty, it's not ideal for those who travel on two wheels rather
than two legs. Though not created specifically for cyclists, the brand's
new backpack allows for more even (and much safer) weight distribution.
Big enough to be a gym bag, or even weekend trip luggage, it's made
from recycled cotton canvas and comes in nine stylish colors. We've got
our eye on the Nutmeg, which looks like something A.P.C. would put out
but at a fraction of the imported price.
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JanSport
SuperBreak Colorblock Backpack:
There comes a time in every young girl's life, usually
around fourth grade, when her favorite color alternates between the
holy Lisa Frank-informed trinity of pink, purple and aqua (plain old
blue will not suffice). Indeed, way back when Family Ties was on the
air, we had a plastic canteen displaying this spectral trifecta that we
used during the anti-juicebox crusade. If we'd had this backpack, we
probably would've been more inclined to bring textbooks home from school
rather than those Garbage Pail Kids
cards acquired during recess trading sessions. Although our Trapper
Keeper has since been replaced by an iBook, we'd happily trade in our
laptop case for this one.
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Market
Backpack:
It seems the Brook Farm General Store, which
we wrote about a couple months ago, is effectively
countrifying us urbanites. Because even in a neighborhood where
residents hit the drugstore armed with an ikat
print fannypack (or whatever the latest thing of the moment is) for
carrying home toilet paper, we keep finding ourselves coveting this
straw backpack that looks more Provence than Brooklyn. Though it's
currently sold out, we're going to keep stalking it in anticipation of a
restock. Formal picnic baskets aside, we can't think of a lovelier
container for transporting cheese and baguettes to the park. Plus,
unlike most picnic baskets, it even looks roomy enough to hold (and hide
from park rangers on the prowl) a couple bottles of wine.
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* References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.
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