The chicest bag this season? It’s not a ladylike quilted chain-strap, oversized clutch, or top-handle satchel. It’s actually the trusty old backpack.

Okay, so, it’s not any old backpack. The chic leather one we’re seeing on celebrities, our favorite street-style stars, and the runways is a cool, nonchalant, off-duty version. Mary-Kate and Ashley’s label, The Row, has come out with a $55,000 crocodile model and (by comparison, a relative steal) a $17,000 patchwork fur one. Style icon Kate Bosworth is sporting 3.1 Phillip Lim’s white version in the November issue of Lucky magazine and designer Junya Watanabe‘s entire men’s 2014 spring collection was inspired by the humble backpack.

The trend might have taken a while to catch on (remember when Prada first introduced the designer backpack in 1984? Neither do we!), but now there’s no denying that it’s the bag du jour. Why? With designers at all price points – from Madewell to Chanel – jumping on board and new luxe materials thrown into the mix, the simple ease of going hands-free is suddenly cool. Even far beyond the high school hallways.

Have questions about the latest fashion happenings? Tweet our Fashion Director, Jackie Nasser, at @ruelala with #askjackie.

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Jackie Nasser joined Rue La La as Fashion Director in November of 2012. In close collaboration with the merchandising teams, she leads content production for lookbooks, style tips, and curated Boutiques. Jackie is the former Lead Editor for InStyle’s sister shopping site, StyleFind.com, which she launched. Prior to that, she served as Senior Fashion Editor at Lucky and at ELLEgirl, ELLE Accessories, and ELLE.com.