Janice Jann thinks totes are tote-ally awesome...
I’m a pretty lazy gal. In fashion, I usually opt to do the simplest things possible. I enjoy versatile outfits which carry me from day to night. I prefer flats to heels because they allow me to move swiftly around the city (also keeping me from towering my 170cm frame over the petite Hong Kong boys). And I hate closing up my bag.

I prefer a tote not because I want to make it easy for pickpockets or that I enjoy airing my personal belongings to the world – but it’s just because that extra gesture of zipping, buttoning and closing up is just too much for me. Rather than keep all my purses open for the world to see, I’ve taken to toting around a tote. I enjoy how light and easy on the shoulder the bag is, how it can match any outfit and, most of all, how there are no additional zippers or buttons.

Don’t even get me started on all the great fabrics totes are made out of. You’ve got the good ol’ fashioned canvas, leather, plastic, even cork.
Oddly-shaped objects hardly make a dent in totes and most of them are usually pliable or compact enough to tuck into an even bigger bag. I’ve been known to fold two or three totes into another bag and pull them out whenever I need extra carrying space. Just call me a regular ol’ bag lady…

For Arthur Tam, backpacks have definitely got your back...
I’m a guy who likes to exude a bit of adolescent charm and a backpack really helps to bring that side of me out. I can wear it on one shoulder or both, depending on my mood or look. Usually I like keeping it light and breezy with a slouchy tank top, skinny shorts or jeans, and a pair of chucks. This look pairs really well with a smaller leather backpack with front side buckle straps.

It’s awful putting a phone or wallet in skinny pants because it warps the pockets and creates an unsightly and unintentional bulge. The solution is throwing them into the front compartment of the backpack. I keep a handy packet of tissues in there too to wipe off Hong Kong’s sweat-inducing heat. Though Hong Kong can be sweltering, its shopping malls and restaurants are as cold as an Arctic winter, which is whyI always pack a sweater or a cardigan in the middle compartment. It’s easy to organise smartly with all the divided space of a backpack.

When I want to sit down at a coffee shop, I know I have my laptop strapped behind me, ready to be taken out. And if I’m ever in hot pursuit of someone, it would be easy to make a getaway with all my things strapped behind me. For whatever use or style – a backpack has got your back.

The Totepack peacemaker
Find the middle ground to the ever-lingering battle between totes and backpacks with a ‘totepack’. With its ingenious convertible straps, a totepack literally combines the simplicity you like from a tote and the mobility that a backpack offers. With the totepack, you will be the most stylish peacemaker around. Probably. John Yip