Check out hottest lunch box styles

High-tech and high-style overhauls have led to a somewhat dizzying array of lunch boxes options. A guide to some of this year's hottest styles:

Totes/Soft-sides

This is the most common style, ranging from simple soft-sided bags to spacious so-called buckets, which are soft versions of the metal lunch pails often associated with construction workers. They offer appeal across genders and ages.

Most lunch boxes of this style offer multiple compartments, allowing the easy segregation of delicate items and heavy drinks, as in the bottom sandwich pouch on California Innovations' Arctic Zone two compartment lunch pack ($7.99).

Some of these designs also make it possible to store different foods at different temperatures. The Lands' End ThermaCool Lunch Box ($35) features an upper compartment designed to keep warm soup or beverage containers away from other items.

For children already carrying heavy loads, consider the Lands' End or Pottery Barn Kids models, which are made to hook onto the outside of the companies' backpacks.

Fashion

The utilitarian look of plainer lunch totes works fine for most people, but if you need to make a fashion statement when carting your lunch to the office, consider some of more chic designs.

For women, The Container Store offers a Built NY-designed neoprene Lunch Bag ($24.99), which resembles a stylish purse and is available in a variety of prints, including stripes, polka dots and the ever-fashionable black.

Men might consider the Lunch Tote ($12.99), which mimics the popular messenger-bag style of many briefcases. This insulated, soft-sided bag easily accommodates a variety of plastic containers.

Bento

If you're seriously into Asian food or just like bringing lots of options for lunch, bento box-style lunch boxes are the way to go.

Bento boxes are a traditional lunch in Japan in which small portions of multiple foods are served, often in small boxes that are divided into compartments. The bento box-style lunch boxes available in the United States usually hold multiple small containers, some designed specifically to store soups, sandwiches, dips and salads.