Totally into totes

Little known secret: In real life, Carrie Bradshaw would have appeared to resemble something like a bag lady.

Freelance writers are the wandering souls of our time, traveling from one cafe to another, always in search of that which is the fuel of their very existence. I am speaking, of course, of high-speed  - both of the cyber and caffeinated variety. To this end, said beings - which I will now confess to being among - tend to carry around enormous totes - burdened with the task of carrying now only their sleek (yet deceptively heavy) MacBooks, but also various other crucial gadgets, cosmetics, entertainment materials, date books...

The true complication is if you are doing all this - and have accepted your fate as a bag lady - and still wish to appear somewhat fashionable. Oh, and you are also sort of poor. (You know, starving artist and all.)

One of the sexiest large-and-in-charge carry-all bags I've seen lately is the gorgeous Linea Pelle Dylan Zip Tote , available at Luna Boston for just under $600.  It's 15-width makes it big enough for that sexy little computer of yours, and the soft-grained leather makes you look exec-hot, and not bag-lady-not. Unfortunately, the price tag is just a wee bit steep.

I love the look and feel though, and I went in search of bags of a similar grain (haha), that won't leave your wallet affright.

The SAK Silverlake Leather Tote, available at Endless.com for $229, is still a bit pricey for some of us - but at half the price of the other bag, sort of feels like a steal! It too is supple leather and roomy enough to be a sublime all-day-long companion.








  If your heart (or bank account) desires a super wallet-friendly option of the lust-worthy bags above, Forever 21's Beccalyn Faux Leather Handbag is a steal at just over $25. Sure, it isn't luxurious fine leather - but at that price, you can recapture the Carrie style by happy-houring to your heart's content - and maybe even throw in a new pair of shoes.