I would suggest the Nine West pipelines line. It's a medium sized purse and it has a zippered compartment in the middle which acts like a border to divide the purse in two (uuuh i dunno how else to describe it). you can fit a water bottle, a planner, a wallet, a checkbook, makeup, kleenex, etc (well that's what i put in mine anyway lol). it looks professional and chic as well. and it comes with straps if u wanna carry it by hand or sling it on your shoulder. and it's not a bad price either. our carson pirie scott has it on sale now for 35$, so chances are your dept store does too.
If price isn't an issue, you can go to monica lewinsky's handbag website (yes she has one now and theyr'e all cute!)
www.therealmonica.com
there's a lot of styles from adorable evening mini purses to bigger/medium totes for everyday.
But the Nine West one I described above is so far the most perfect handbag for everyday use in terms of size, color and compartments.
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"To supress our feelings only makes them stronger"--from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon