MZ Wallace 

Monica Zwirner and Lucy Wallace Eustice, longtime New Yorkers and founders of the durable, functional bag line MZ Wallace, understand that busy ladies need purses that can multitask too. The designers are celebrating their tenth anniversary by opening a third Manhattan shop, on the Upper East Side (other locations are in Soho and the West Village). The petite uptown space has clean white walls and minimalist shelving, which complements the handbags’ modern shapes. Highlights of the current collection include shoulder bags with gold-studded leather straps ($425), linen satchels with leather trimming ($395) and lightweight leopard-print shoulder totes ($425). Every style has pockets designed for cell phone and wallet-size cards (creating easy MetroCard access); plus the founders test-drive every prototype to ensure the ultimate pouch positioning. Many water- and stain-resistant sacks are large enough to carry ballerina flats, an iPad and work files, making them the bag to have for girls on the go.