What to you travel to work with?

I work as a buyer in the home furnishings area so I travel a lot for work - last year I traveled 32 weeks out of 52! Needless to say I make good friends with the hotel front desk and the nice people at the airlines. When I bought apparel I traveled on simple overnight trips to New York City so there wasn't much thought put into packing, especially my carry-on. In fact I threw everything into my purse (laptop, files, notepad, wallet, etc) which doubled as by briefcase during these trips. It left me with a sore back at the end of the day but I didn't have to carry two bags all day and it was still stylish. Plus, since it was only for only night it wasn't the biggest of deals. But alas, things have changed. In my new area I travel for longer periods of time so I really need a dedicated work case/briefcase. I just don't think my purse (although it is large) can do double duty anymore. So I'm reaching out for help. What do you ladies carry to work? Do you go for fashion or function, and is it possible to have both?