This post was contributed by Cafe La Moda, the social space for fashion tips and beauty advice.

So Career Fashion Blog has posted a few times about bags that help accessorize your work outfit, and bring a touch of colour to your working day, but what about when your bag needs to mean business? Whether it’s client meetings, an interview, or business travel, sometimes the bag you carry with you is taken as part of your business attire, and it needs to be absolutely as well-thought-out as the rest of your outfit. You might just need a discrete clutch bag to stash your keys and cellphone, or you might also have to take a laptop, notebook or iPad with you, and dumping those things into any old laptop bag could ruin your carefully tailored look.

However, there’s no reason to worry, since bag makers are more than aware of the need for bags for business, and there is a huge range of sophisticated, businesslike bags available to you.

Covers and sleeves for iPads

If you’re lucky enough to have a work tablet that you take to meetings, don’t run the risk of it getting battered and don’t risk looking unprofessional with a shabby cover. Invest in a good black leather cover,  perhaps picked out in an accent colour that matches your outfit: like this beautiful black leather sleeve with red leaf detail. Go to product

Laptop Tote Bags

If it’s a laptop you’re taking to your meeting, invest in a good quality laptop tote. Gone are the days when all laptop bags looked like school bags or briefcases, now it’s possible to choose a high quality laptop tote that’s beautifully designed to not only look elegant but also to make carrying a laptop a bit less of a chore: like this stylish Kerri Mack Albina Design bag. Go to product

Shoulder Bags

If you’ve only got to stash your cellphone and your keys somewhere that doesn’t ruin the line of your suit jacket, choose a small shoulder bag which doesn’t draw attention to itself. Go for a classic style if your bag needs to mean business, leave the tassles, zebra-print and flowers for another day, and pick something like this Guess Lina Top Handle Half-Flap bag, which is the perfect balance of elegant and businesslike. Go to product

Carry-on Bags

If you’re going further afield on business, the chances are you’ll need a travel or carry-on bag, and if you’re being met at the airport or at the hotel when you arrive, you might need to invest in a travel-size bag that’s all business. You don’t want to rumple your suit with a hefty shoulder bag, so go for a stylish rolling bag like this Glen Ellyn two-in-one. The rolling frame disconnects from the bag once you’ve arrived at your destination, leaving a stylish tote. Go to product

If you are bored with your black business suit, then put some shock into it – wear it with a big, bright red or hot pint bag!  If your suit is too dark for you today, accessorize with a sreamingly pink purse. Nothing says “hello” more than that.

So you are wearing a black power suit, but what color is your bag? Your bag is not just for hauling papers around, it’s part of your business outfit. Maybe your business suit is in a dark, traditional, conservative color, but your bag can be a in a strong bright color. It doesn’t necessarily have to match your shoes – it can speak on it’s own. Let your bag do some “talking”. It’s one accessory that can accessorize all by itself.

Rainy wheather is comming, we know it. Be prepared this season and get a pair of rubber boots that are not just practical, but stylish looking. Get a big purse to match it, and you have your out doors look ready. Make sure your purse is big enough for your indoor pumps and a plastic bag. When you arrive at the office take your rain boots off and keep them in a plastic bag under your desk, and put on your black standard pump that goes with your buisness suit.

Brighten up the drizzly weather with some color accessories. If you don’t want to buy new business suits, then renew them with splashing shoes and purse sets. Why not urge Spring to return early by putting on a pair of hot pink peep toe heals and matching pink purse, with your black power suit? Or if hot pink scares you – why not a big, roomy medium blue bag with matching blue pointy toe heels in a fun animal print, like subtle snake skin? Either of these sets would accessorize a woman’s business suit in a new and fun way. Wear the hot pink or lime green shoes for casual work clothes, and the olive or blue pointy toes for more formal business attire. (And the rules about no open toe shoes with work clothes have been cancelled, in case anyone is wondering.)

The accessories from: Nine West and Bakers

 Compare these two photos of the same black business suit accessorized in two different ways. This same classic black power suit with a basic white blouse, gets a new personality by changing to a new set of accessories. The key to good accessorizing is in sets. When you see a pair of shoes, or an accessory you like, look for other items to go with it to complete the set – that way it is quick to whip together a chic professional business outfit when your off to a meeting.

Some accessories are meant to go together, like the gray snake skin pointy toe pumps with the matching bag. We put them with a gray shawl that matches one of the gray tones in the animal print, and then added a silver necklace to the blouse. Black and gray are good basics for business attire.

Put the accessories in the set doesn’t have to be “matchy-match”. On the right we picked roomy purple leather bag, and we put a pair of purple round toe shoes with it. The shoes are in a slightly different shade of purple, but they are close enough that they look good together. And for jewelry, we put a striking purple necklace to contrast with the collar of the white blouse. You ought to have some color in your professional wardrobe.

(These accessories from Nine West, Bakers, and Bloomingdale’s.)

Changing the accessories can make a women’s business suit look like a completely different suit.  The purse is actually part of the outfit as much as the shoes are. If you already have black shoes and black purses, then build sets of accessories in colors. The word in emphasis here is “set”. When I see a pair of shoes in a color I like, I look for a purse and other things to accessorize my suit with, that all go together – shoes, purse, and perhaps scarves, belts, necklaces, bracelets earrings. It’s best to buy all the accessories in the same trip, at the same mall (if possible) because then you have them all together as a complete set, ready to go.

If you have three completely different sets to accessorize your business suit with, then you can wear the same office outfit three times, and make it look like they are 3 different outfits. A stylish purse can add good flair to your professional wardrobe. Accessorize your business suit with items that suit your personality, and add to your professional image. If you are buying your business attire on a budget, then spend most of the money on a quality suit, and less money on the accessories. You can find things that enhance your look on sale – if the accessories match are combines well and look good together, it doesn’t matter much that they didn’t cost as much as the suit.

A set should have at least 3, but not more than 6, matching items in it. For example:

1. Shoes, purse, necklace, and perhaps also a bracelet and a belt.

2. Shoes, scarf, belt, and perhaps also a bracelet and earrings.

3. Shoes, purse, belt, and perhaps also a necklace.