There are some gorgeous, classy tote bag designs available that will complement your dressier outfits, including a business suite. These tote handbags transfer well from business to casual, too, so you won’t have to change purses every time you change clothes.

Look for leather tote bags when you go handbag shopping online. The best ones have a fabric lining and plenty of compartments on the inside to hold small odds and ends. Many of these designs have slots to hold cards like your driver’s license and credit card, but you’ll probably prefer to carry a wallet inside the tote for your important cards and cash. Be sure to look for a wallet that matches the bag.

Closure styles can include zippers, a single snap in the center of the opening, or decorative fold-over flaps and buttons.

Leathers come in all colors, including black matte, black patent leather, many shades of brown, neutral tans, white, and some wonderful hot colors as well as pastels. You can buy your leather bag in a smooth finish, a textured finish like mock alligator, or distressed leather, which gives a more casual look.

Just about every handbag designer offers this style in their product line. Many of these bags are made with high-end fabrics instead of the very casual canvas construction that you’re used to seeing. The classic Luis Vuitton brown-on-brown fabric is available in a tote bag design, with four-figure price tag. If Vuitton is making these bags, then you know they’re a fashion statement that’s ready for prime time.

How big should a tote handbag be? Try to find a size that’s just big enough to hold a manila file folder and still shut. That way you can carry papers without bending them. You’ll probably want to get a larger size to carry things to the office in, but the larger size bags are more casual.

The beauty of these bags is that they hold more stuff than a purse, but they’re not clunky like a briefcase. You’ll find room for all the things you had to leave at home when you carried a smaller bag: your sunglasses, checkbook, extra makeup, and your cell phone or blackberry. No matter what size, color, or style you choose, the stylish tote bag is an idea whose time has come.

A tote makes a purse seem outdated except when you want to dress up. You can carry a canvas tote bag in your hand, or sling it over your shoulder to leave your hands free. These bags have a nautical appearance and go great with casual clothing, especially in the summertime. Their breezy appearance makes you look cool and relaxed.

The classic fabric tote bag was pioneered by Land’s End but is now available from hundreds of manufacturers. The bag is made from unbleached canvas on the sides with a sewn-in bottom in a contrasting bright color like navy blue, red, parrot green, or chocolate brown. The handles are securely sewn onto the sides of the fabric bag and match the contrasting accent color of the bottom. Fabric bags can be bought with an open top or a zippered top. They’re stylish, strong, and a great bargain at a low price.

An even more economical version of fabric tote bags is the canvas grocery bag. This is just a very plain canvas shopping bag made from unbleached canvas with sewn-on handles. Many canvas grocery bags have advertising or monograms on them. Canvas shopping bags are marketed as being “green,” or earth friendly because they’re made from cotton, which is a natural fiber. One reusable canvas bag can keep thousands of pounds of disposable plastic from ending up in a landfill every year.

A great choice if you’re looking for a canvas handbag purse hybrid is the canvas messenger bag. It has a flap that closes over the compartment and often some zippered pockets to hold smaller items. Canvas messenger bags are usually carried over one shoulder. Some are big enough to hold laptop computers. Canvas bags for men are usually messenger style.

You can find almost any type of fabric bag for specialized uses. There are canvas duffle bags to take to the gym or to use as luggage. If you have children, you can buy a canvas diaper bag. A canvas beach bag will hold your towel, swimsuit, sunscreen, a book, and sunglasses. A canvas lunch bag is washable and easy to keep clean. You can even get a canvas coin bag to carry inside a bigger tote to hold your loose change.

Buy online to get the best bargains and the greatest variety of designs.