Backpacks don't go with sequined dresses.

But unfortunately they go with "my lifestyle." F that noise.

Anyway, I need a backpack. God, I can't even look at the word. Backpack, backpack, backpack. I don't WANT a backpack. However, the reality of "my lifestyle" is that I have scoliosis [holla!], a commute that involves the bus and a dramatic uphill walk [meaning I am dramatic during it... it is a fairly steep incline to be fair], and a lot of shit to lug around. But try as I may, I cannot imagine a backpack going with a dress like this:

I mean really.

I'm having a lot of trouble with The Great Backpack Debate, because I know that I'm going to look kind of lame with a backpack. Backpacks are equated with elementary school and high school and perhaps "expected" to be banished by the time you get to graduate school. Last year I just shoved all my school items into my purse and an elaborate series of canvas bags. It sucked. And although they were dirty canvas grocery bags, I feel like they still made me look more like a "graduate student" than a backpack. And they looked slightly better with sequined dresses.

But alas. I can't have it all ways. Either I live up to [perhaps my own?] grad school expectation of "grown-up bag," or my commute remains horrible and my back hurts all the time. And maybe I'll figure out a way to effectively work the backpack + sequins look.

Here are some sweet options I've been eyeing. Interestingly, I am finding a lot of choices in the skater-backpack-options:

What's nice about these two is they have built in coolers [seriously that's awesome] and padded laptop sleeves [though I want those laptop sleeves SecretlyCrunchy posted. Hardcore]. But they may be a bit too big for my frame still [seriously being short makes backpack shopping kind of awkward].

I'm incredibly intrigued also by these Timbuk2 bags. I've never had one, but I know people who have and they seem to be really good bags. This one is only $50, super simple, and WATERPROOF:

This is the one I may be most intrigued by, but think I am too short for still [it only comes in a medium, not a small]. It has a side access laptop pocket, which seems like it would be quite a luxury:

I'll report back on how whichever one I pick works on a dramatic commute for a nearly 5'2" girl.