A longer explanation of my criteria:

- I carry my shoulder bags every day for years and pack a fair amount in them, so it must be durable.

- It has to go with everything, and so should be some shade of brown (I never wear black).

- It must be a good size as it has to hold the necessities of (my) life: my knitting, a paperback, lunch, wallet, vanity case, sunglasses, planner, small notebook, pens, calculator, keys, and Metropass.

- It needs at least a couple of different compartments so I'm not forever emptying the whole thing out in order to find my keys.

- I'd like it to be at least somewhat stylish and distinctive, to have a smart shape, good workmanship, and a nice material (I like leather, but a reasonable approximation thereof can work quite well). My taste tends to be classic. I can't stand to feel that I'm carrying something that looks like a diaper bag.

- I'd like to spend under $200.

paging cinnamon?

I do love the Land's End Square Rigger Deluxe Attaché, but it sounds like you may want something more like the Executive Attaché. It's chock full of compartments, and the denim versions even come in a laptop model. There are a couple of lesser leather & business versions. Anyway, have used these since the 1980s and haven't found a reason to switch.

≡ Click to see image ≡

'Storia' Italian Leather Messenger Bag. This looks nice, and has a couple of good reviews. This image is the "classic dark leather" version.

Ooh! Sales!

I love "American Angel" bags. Good quality leather, tons of different styles, very classic and affordable. I can't remember if I got mine in J.C. Penney or Boscov's, but I found this link for you.

I have a large black one of these, and it holds everything I need and is easy to carry.

Thanks everyone! There are several here that made me drool on my keyboard.

Fossil has some really nice ones, too.

The strap on my old shoulder bag broke on my last day in Vegas;-) Oh well, it was a $60 bag that I carried almost every day for four years, so it had done its time.

I just bought myself a new bag this week, at the Bay in Toronto's Yorkdale Mall. It was priced at $250, but hugely discounted so that I paid quite a bit under $200 for it, so I was happy. It's a Liz Claiborne, but alas I can't find it anywhere online.