Are designer totes really the norm for university bags now

[Fourpaw]

I have just entered the unexpected world of pain that is helping my daughter to buy a bag for uni. It needs to hold laptop, water bottle etc. I had no idea that backpacks are totally out and that girls seem to be carrying very expensive designer totes? Is this true? Help!

I'm assuming from your post that your daughter wants to be 'in' with a certain crowd at uni.

The truth is that if you look at the uni as a whole there won't be any bag that is 'the one to have' - it's not like school. There is a huge range of people at a university, and a huge range of styles and clothing to go with it, as a few people have already pointed out!

But yeah, if she is wanting to get in with a certain fashion crowd then there will probably be a certain brand or type of bag/ clothing that will be 'in'.

She might have to wait and see when she gets there though. You don't want to spend a load of money on the wrong thing.

My dd started last year. I don't remember a conversation about a bag. She took her rucksack from school and no bag need has ever been mentioned going into second year.

What's a designer tote? Can anyone link?

Neither of my daughters has a designer bag for uni. One has a superdry backpack and the other has a non designer over the shoulder laptop bag.

Very much location dependant. I have seen designer bags amongst students where I work, but I have seen the whole spectrum. Most are definitely not designer tote.

Maybe a lesson in budget management is in order?

She will do shopping at uni, you'd be mad to buy her anything before she goes. Her style will totally change in the new environment. Buy her a plate, spoon and KFS and be done with it.

DD is doing post grad and still uses the same Fjallraven backpack she had at school. It is still going strong nearly 10 years on.

Like me she favours practicality over brand.

My daughter used a tote bag from Cass Art for 3 years. She still uses it now.

My daughter is starting uni imminently. What she wears, what accessories she buys etc have no input whatsoever from me . She does her own thing, earns her own money, looks fantastic and unfailing has members of the public comment how fabulous she looks when I go out with her. She owns nothing designer whatsoever. She cares not one jot what anyone else thinks and I’m far too busy to care what bag she uses.

I work at a university. I think there is a mixture, but yes most have shoulder/tote bags rather than rucksacks (like me!). I have noticed loads of students with the Longchamp Le Pliage bag

This is genuine version of the style that seems popular around here. DD paid £10 for a fake but primark etc do very similar copies too. From a distance you wouldn’t know which was which

If she's bothered about fitting in get her to take a bag she already has and buy one after she's seen what others have. At the Uni near me there are all sorts of bags. I'd say backpacks more common than handbags

Please what is a designer tote bags? I feel like I am missing out 😁

@taraclaralara I have responded to you 2 posts down with a picture 😆

I'm a lecturer and all my students were with longchamps last year. They have very very expensive shoes, bags, coats etc. Far more than I could ever afford! For some reason they're often white coats too which seems ridiculously impractical.

Mine was a bag from the freshers fair and it contained my laptop, note pad from the freshers fair, monster energy, pack of cigs and about 20 pens from the freshers fair. Designer bags aren’t really the norm, my niece started at Edinburgh last year and the freshers fair bag was still pretty common. Nice to see nothing has changed (apart from now it’s vapes not cigs).

my dd16 has had an XL longchamp for 2 years and will use again this year and it’s almost uniformly the same amongst her year (UK boarding school). Stayed in good condition and has cheap eBay inserts for storage.

I work at a university. They're definitely not all carrying designer bags - anything goes! Most of them are using backpacks.

It seems there’s a bit of snobbery about not any old canvas shopping bag to carry your books. DD currently favours:
Shakespeare and Company Paris
Waterstones
Rainbow LGBT+ stripes
Hard Rock Cafe
and uses a cross-body mini leather satchel for her essentials (Vinted, €20).

She still uses her plain Eastpak from when she was 11. They’re indestructible.

I’m a lecturer. The vast majority of students at my university use backpacks. The brand of choice seems to be North Face, the favourite colour is black. I haven’t seen many totes, designer or otherwise. But I expect each university has its own styles and trends.

I'm curious to know which university and which course where all the students can afford expensive designer gear.

When DD was an undergrad she not only had a laptop to carry, but had a lab coat and protective stuff to carry on lab days.

Sorry 😂and thanks!
That Longchamp bag is the go to one for local state school girls year 9 -11. Funny as I had a couple in the naughties and then gave them to charity.

And where all the students had the same bag.

London based Russell group. 80% international students who have ££££

Those brands don't feature ostentatious logos ...