How to Make Backpacks Look Cool

I did a piece for this month’s Glam.com iPad app (it’s awesome, get it here) about how to make backpacks more stylish and chic. I’ve actually become somewhat of a backpack junkie myself so I decided share some of my tips here and a crap ton of backpack inspiration pics.

I recently jumped onto the backpack bandwagon and bought a great one from MCM. The purchase was actually made because I needed a backpack. Seriously. I travel a lot and wanted a hands free bag to carry all of my gear at the airport. When you bring your 6lb little dog with you everywhere, both hands are truly necessary. Yohji is a handful!

Get Inspired

Designers are doing backpacks and they are doing them well. Scope out your favorites and either save up for the real deal or see if you can get the look for less. Chanel’s Spring 2014 backpack is next level awesome or you can go classic with their quilted style.

Add a Charm

Take it back to the 90s and add some key chains and charms to your backpacks zipper pulls. Adding a high-end designer key chain to an inexpensive backpack can up the style ante big time.

DIY

Get crafty with paint, sequins, studs, and stones. A creative weekend project can yield stylish results. Check out Pinterest for some clever DIY ideas.

Look in Unexpected Places

Shop the Army Surplus stores, vintage, or even in the children’s department for backpacks. Sometimes being stylish and chic is as simple as being different.

Dye It

Have an old leather backpack in brown or a faded black that just isn’t making the cut when it comes to being chic? Take it to a purse repair shop and it have it dyed. Go for classic black or try a more upbeat color like purple or red. I tried it on one of my own bags and it turned out great.

Would you rock a backpack or are backpack for kiddies?