We are witness to a trend in its is early stages of the style cycle. In the last month the backpack (you heard me correctly, the backpack) has made an appearance dangling over one shoulder of Mary-Kate Olsen at a New York City red carpet event.  It also appeared in the desert of California as Rachel Bilson’s bag of choice at the Coachella Music Festival. This can only be proof of one thing: you will soon have a rest from the weight of your one-strap accessory and won’t be a fashion victim because of it.

A fine line runs between fashion forward and fashion disaster, and most ‘It Girls’ walk the tight rope in between, finding themselves often put on worst dressed lists by the mainstream media, then single handedly starting trends that made their first appearances on these said lists months later.

Take Chloë Sevigny for Opening Cermony Fall 2008: the 1990s grunge-inspired line was first panned by fashion critics, but now you can’t go outside without seeing a short floral skirt paired with combat boots or leopard print flats. Clog mania has reached an all-time high this season, but it wasn’t too long ago that MK again stepped out in a pair of wooden clodhoppers on the streets of Manhattan to the horror of many. If the past proves anything, despite our initial apprehension over carrying an item that we used to keep our school lunches in, this pack is certainly on its way back.

Backpack from Alexander Wang

Both Bilson and Olsen’s carried vintage Pendleton backpacks, an offshoot of the navajo print craze, yet another what goes around comes around trend. But they have also made a recent appearance on the runway at Chanel and Alexander Wang, and for men at Lanvin, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. But luckily for those of us who may be a bit hesitant to drop that kind of cash on a such a functional and possibly questionable piece, backpacks have also popped up this season at Urban Outfitters, Opening Ceremony and Steven Alan.

With such stylish stores and stars taking the first dive into these abandoned fashion waters with a cool confidence, it will be no surprise if next season’s must-have bag comes filled with memories of crammed lockers and our first kisses. So whether it is a mini backpack à la Prada 1992 or a more utilitarian number that you can actually carry your laptop in, I say why not follow MK’s lead and get nostalgic. Plus, your poor shoulders will get a much deserved break while you reminisce.

Words: Megan Cahn