The Capital Barbie: The Work Bag

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Work Bag

The work bag. It can be a beautiful go-to item or a backpacking monstrosity. Especially in Washington, DC where you pretty much need to carry an entire second outfit in addition to your regular items in something that looks feminine and functional. Because lets face it, it's 104 degrees outside and 64 degrees in your office.

First of all, declutter your purse. That's right- bite the bullet and dump your purse upside down on your bed and start fresh. Take out the band-aid wrappers, the coins, the 16 pens that you can never find when you need them, and anything else that many have accumulated, expired, or leaked all over your bag. This is what I like to keep in my work purse:

-checkbook sized wallet
-business cards (in a sassy case)
-cell phone
-lipgloss & one chapstick
-liquid hand sanitizer (preferably CVS instant spray)
-keys
-Tide to go pen
-Kindle
-lunch sandwich
-Express newspaper
-umbrella (if needed)
-sunglasses
-work badge
-purse clip

Not too much right? Now onto the actual purse. If you have a backpack- just get rid of it. Backpacks are for people who go to school, they put textbooks in them, you however; have no excuse and you are ruining your outfit. Shame. Another bad move is the bag lady you know who you are. Women who carry two to four purses for some unknown reason. So what if you bring a change of shoes to wear at work, are they 6 inch platforms? No. You brought lunch? That's great! Unless its Thanksgiving leftovers you don't need a separate bag for it! My ONLY exception for the 2+ bag rule are the brave women who make it to the gym before or after work. They can bring an extra bag for toting their gymness.

Now onto the dos of work bags. I should also note that some of these bags will be a little more expensive then some of my other recommendations on the blog. I think once you find a work bag that suits you- invest in it because you'll use it for years!