Backpacks for Women: Backpacks for Women Have Never Looked Cooler, Thanks to Celebrities

For fashion lovers, backpacks for women are as annoying as an itchy tag or a jammed zipper: Not because backpacks for women are uncomfortable or unwearable, but because they’re designed for function alone. Searching for a grown-up yet useful backpack can feel like trying to find a satisfying reason why Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl—that is, impossible. Settling for the backpacks we wore in high school won’t cut it either: When was the last time someone carried a Jansport backpack and made a best-dressed list?

Here’s the thing: When you’re lugging a laptop, clothes for Pilates, and two meals to work, there’s no way to avoid carrying a backpack. So when you inevitably have to carry one, celebrity outfits are the place to look for inspiration. Plenty of celebrities—including Rhianna and Bella Hadid—manage to carry backpacks that fulfill their divine purpose (carrying ALL of the stuff) with tangible style. Still skeptical? Allow these celebrity outfits to renew your faith in backpacks for women.

The Fashion Week Backpack

Rhianna’s backpack for a Louis Vuitton show in Paris took compartmentalizing to a place backpacks for women hadn’t been before. The standard large pouch plus outer pocket were replaced by several individual compartments joined by a single thick strap in piercing white. The end result: a street-style-photographer magnet with space left over.

The Animal-Print Backpack

Whether you’re a die-hard New York Fashion Week disciple or a trend-shy shopper, you should consider an animal print backpack for your next accessories purchase. Animal print is the trend that won’t die; in a backpack, it’s an upscale step above plain black and a semi-neutral base to complement the rest of your outfit. Taylor Swift’s tiny snakeskin backpack is the perfect example.

The Travel Backpack

Take a cue from Ariana Grande’s travel outfit the next time you need a backpack for an overseas trip. The tiny black backpack she chose for a visit to Japan can fit airplane essentials like a book and noise-canceling headphones. When it’s time for a dressier event, details like crisp black leather and gold accents make it an easy substitute for a handbag.