The Coolest Fashion Backpacks at Every Price Point

Growing up, I was homeschooled (hold the jokes), and though I’m grateful for my unique academic experience, there are certain aspects of schooling that I missed out—namely, the topic of today’s post: backpacks. Widely associated with childhood and back-to-school motifs, I, homeschooled girl, never got to own one. After all, packing up my books and supplies to simply walk downstairs seemed a bit unnecessary. So when these carryalls began to trickle into street style culture years back on cool off-duty models and fashion editors, my eyeballs widened with glee.

Fast-forward to the present, and I have a small handful of backpacks I love and cherish. Not only are they a stylish update to the classic handbag, they’re also amazing for commuting and balancing weight on my shoulders, which if you walk miles a day like I do makes a major difference. All of these reasons combined are why I decided to peruse fall’s best backpack offerings so you can join me in carrying a stylish, shoulder-pleasing bag this season. See below to shop my picks, and make sure to tell me in the comments if you buy one!

Nicole Kliest
Freelance Contributor

Nicole Kliest is a freelance writer and editor based in New York City who focuses on fashion, travel, food, wine, and pretty much anything else that's amusing to write about. After graduating from Pepperdine University with a bachelor's in journalism and creative writing, she started her career back in 2010 as Who What Wear's photo editor and throughout the last decade has contributed to publications including Fashionista, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, The Zoe Report, PopSugar, Fodor's Travel, and several others. She also copywrites and has worked with clients such as Frame, Sea, 3x1, Intelligentsia, and others to develop brand voices through storytelling and creative marketing. She's very passionate about the ways we can improve our sustainability efforts in the fashion industry as well as cultivating content that's diverse and inclusive of all people. When she's not checking out the latest restaurant opening in her West Village neighborhood or riding her bicycle along the West Side Highway, she can be found scheming her next trip somewhere around the world. (Up next is Vienna.)