The Right Bag is My Must-Have Fashion Accessory

With one or more kids, the amount of stuff that a mom has to carry around at any given time increases substantially. Very often moms continue to carry around a purse, which has in recent years' fashion exploded in size, and add in a separate diaper bag. The problem is that both end up stuffed full of ephemera and this kind of clutter only drags a person down. And diaper bags are either kid-themed with soft colors and cartoon characters, or sturdy, industrial things designed to withstand bomb blasts.

Luckily, a lot of larger bags are perfect for combining your purse and diaper bag. If you don't want items rolling around inside willy-nilly, get a few smaller zip top makeup bags to sort items. A lot of larger bags have zippered pockets inside and snap pockets outside, which also helps keep you organized.

Best of all is that the fashionista movement has definitely settled into a number of retailers that can offer you high fashion choices for less than $40. And let's face it: it's not practical to load diapers, wipes, and mashed carrots into a $1500 Michael Kors. So many designers are recognizing that even folks on a budget like to accessorize, and are selling out of places like Payless (Lela Rose, Alice + Olivia, Christian Siriano), Target (Liberty of London, Carlos Falchi), many retailers feature store brands with a designer look, including Payless, Target, Avon, and Avon's spinoff brand, mark. And often these bags are sturdy cloth or faux leather. Both are easy to clean, and guilt free for any vegans or vegetarians. Faux leather wipes clean with just a swipe of the baby wipe!

Any outfit looks more put together when you throw a cute tote on your shoulder instead of a dingy diaper bag and the purse you've outgrown. A little patent shine, some tough hardware, or a killer print dresses up even jeans and a t shirt. Combine, downsize, and accessorize!

www.payless.com
www.target.com
www.avon.com
www.meetmark.com