19 best work bags for women that are chic and practical

Hybrid working is great… until it comes to swapping your WFH desk for the office and transporting your belongings in one fell swoop. Investing in the best work bags for women is where we've landed on the ‘making life easier’ front, and thankfully there are lots of styles to choose from.

While office days are exciting (it's certainly nice to have to think about what to wear to work instead of joggers and slippers), hauling everything you need together to actually complete said job is a whole other story. Yep, getting out of bed more than 10 minutes before we start work is truly motivating, but how stressful is it trying to ram your laptop, notebook, headphones and water bottle into a flimsy canvas bag when you've got less than two minutes to leave the house?

Sturdier than your go-to beach bag and just as innovative as one of the best laptop backpacks, though arguably more chic, a good work bag will see you through the years.

Take Mulberry's Bayswater tote, for example; considered an icon, the slim silhouette is eternally practical and spacious enough to fit all the essentials – from your laptop to your makeup pouch. Or, Saint Laurent's Bea bag; a slouchier alternative that has been seen on the arms of every means-business woman out there. It's a Hailey Bieber favourite.

SKIP TO: Shop the best work bags for women 2024.

Best work bags for women, tested by editors:

1. Trending work bag: Oversized Edition The Brigitte Woven Faux-Leather Shoulder Bag by Melie Bianco, £135, Anthropologie
2. Best designer work bag: Cabas Longchamp M Tote Bag, £640, Longchamp
3. Best black work bag: Large Leather Tote, £110, & Other Stories

Sophie CockettROMINA INTROINI

Oversized Edition The Brigitte Woven Faux-Leather Shoulder Bag by Melie Bianco

£135 at Anthropologie

Cabas Longchamp M Tote Bag

£640 at Longchamp

Mayola FernandesROMINA INTROINI

Denise PrimbetROMINA INTROINI

Large Leather Tote

£110 at & Other Stories

How we tested the best work bags

The best work bags for women need to be strong enough to carry all those important things (your planner and stationery etc), but for many of us, they also need to be stylish. That backpack you took on a girls' weekend away with you a few years ago won’t suffice, and neither will your trusty bum bag or cute mini bag. Sorry. You need a practical design but one that won’t make you look like Will from The Inbetweeners – unless that’s your vibe. Team GLAMOUR is in the office three times a week, so we've taken the time to test, try and chose the majority of the work bags in this round up so you don't have to.

Something like a tote bag is ideal and definitely on the right track, though you may want to go for one with a compartmentalised interior so that A) you can actually find things inside it and B) it’s more secure and safe on your commute. Think baby-changing bag – with all of its nifty pockets and various straps and handles – but more glam. It’ll need to suit your outfit, too, so go for something that can be worn with a blazer or trouser suit just as well as a summer dress.

If you're less of a handbag more of a rucksack kind of girl, then find the best laptop backpacks for women here (including neoprene styles and a Tory Burch and Everlane design), as well as the best travel backpacks here. For more from GLAMOUR UK’s Senior Commerce Writer Georgia Trodd, follow her on Instagram @georgiatrodd.