too cool for school

Ever wish you could jump into a time machine... that isn't a hot tub or a DeLorian? I remember going back to school shopping and picking out new clothes, which was always fun, but the stuff I loved getting best was the supplies -- new backpack, a snazzy new pencil box, cool folders printed with favorite characters or animals, and of course the all-important Trapper Keeper. Clothes were changed out every day, but these were the things you brought every day to school. They were the grade school equivalent of a coat of arms that you rocked, day in and day out. Times have changed, but if I were going back to school and wanted to accessorize like a boss, these are my too-cool-for-school ultimate finds.

I feel like the equivalent of the Ye Olde 80's Trapper Keeper is the iPad case/cover. There are so many options and materials people are using to make the ubiquitous tablet computer more personalized. And it's not to say notebooks are without their place -- sometimes you need to jot down a quick note to pass along to the cute boy or girl in study hall, and an impersonal text just won't do. Pencils in pencil cases are downright quaint now. Even in the electronic age, they can still be a fun accessory. And then of course, the bag to hold it in. Sure, our Jansport nylon backpacks that we could only wear on one shoulder did the job back in the day, but my wish list has some fun selections that range from colorful to vintage. Sure, we're long past the days of lunch bells and recess, but all these items are just as much at home in an office as they are a classroom (albeit, a crazy-cool classroom). 

Be the leader of your own In-Crowd and show off some of these cool things during your lunch break: {1} Pierson backpack in electric eel/coconut by Tory Burch, {2} Fantastic Elastic iPad case in Abstract by Kate Spade Saturday, {3} Warm khaki canvas and leather messenger bag by Burberry, {4} Jonathan Adler pencils, {5} Denim Luddite Table/iPad case by Thomaspaul, {6} White Anchor needlepoint iPad case by Lands' End, {7} Airmail pencil case, {8} Printed Nines messenger bag in mango by Nine West, {9} Yello iPhone 5 case by Kate Spade Saturday, {10} Continental backpack in American Heritage by J.W. Hulme Co, {11} Mini Numbers journals by Cavallini, {12} Ikat Decomposition notebook by Paper Source


Jaunty Fine Print: Photos from shops listed