Finding a winning work bag can feel like an impossible pursuit. But right between the too-stuffy leather briefs and the slick nylon messengers sits this magical creation from Ernest Alexander. With its charcoal waxed canvas, brown leather, and brass hardware, it kills with a slim suit and camel coat or start-up-appropriate jeans and sneakers. It's so universally appealing, with its laptop sleeve and multiple handy pockets (these guys thought of everything), that we highly recommend it for girls, too.
What to know: Made in New York from gray waxed canvas milled in New Jersey, navy twill lining produced in St. Louis, and chocolate-brown leather finished in NYC; measures 15 ½ by 12 by 3 ½ inches with a detachable shoulder strap that adjusts between 30 inches and 55 inches long and leather handles; interior sleeve to hold 15-inch laptop.