Because I have received questions about what my purse looks like, as a follow up to the post below I wanted to make a post about my specific purse. I love, love my purse! I had a purse similar to this one for two and a half years. As you can see, it is very functional and still attractive. Last January, however, I was ready for something a little more exciting. The things that were important to me were:

Size. Has to fit my laptop, and hold all of my carry-on travel items.

Multiple interior pockets. I think the best purse interior is divided into two sections, one for a laptop and one for the rest of your stuff. It also needs to have a pocket inside for keys, cell phone, and lipstick.

Exterior pockets. An exterior pocket on the side of your purse is so helpful for things you don’t want in your hands, but need easy access to, such as your boarding pass.

Easy to carry. You have to be able to carry your purse on your shoulder or strapped to your suitcase. It would be very difficult to travel with a purse that you had to carry in your hands. I like two straps that are at least an inch wide, which will minimize cutting into your shoulder.

After searching for months online, at various department stores, Coach stores, etc, I finally found one in a random tiny boutique near my house.  The purse I found, by Tano Handbags, has most of the above items. Of course, my old purse had all of them, but, like I said, I was ready for something a little flashier.  My purse is so beautiful! It is red leather with zippers, so shiny and fun.  It did not have the pockets I wanted, either inside or outside, beyond the normal inside pocket for cell phone and keys, soI added a large pocket for my laptop using scrap fabric, which has worked out pretty well.  The straps are good, it’s big, and with the new large pocket is easy to pack and travel with. It looks very similar to this one, but the outside pocket is not as large. If I could change one thing, it would be to add cuter lining. I know that’s shallow, but it makes me happy to look in my purse and see a cute liner fabric. Oh well. I used cute fabric to add my pocket, so that makes the liner situation better.

Another purse that I looked at, but did not ultimately get, is this one from Latico. They have great, high quality purses, and the interior has everything I need. I just didn’t like the outside color choices as much.

I hope this helps all of you who need a new bag! It is possible to have a beautiful, useful purse that will also hold your laptop, and doesn’t look like a briefcase. Happy shopping!