Michael Kors and DKNY always have the best selection of totes and satchels, notwithstanding the fact that if you’re walking around London, Paris or NY everywhere you go you’ll spot LV’s famous chequer patterned tote with its rich red lining. And even they, now, are designing totes in a rainbow of colours. But they're all at a price starting at about three times the ones here.
The tote bag has to be your most useful every day bag, perfect for travelling, shopping or a day out anywhere, large enough to hold your iPad, makeup, wallet and anything else you want with you all of the time, and right up to date in terms of styling as they are truly modern/classics. Weaning yourself off one of these for a night at the opera or dinner at the Wolsley is extremely difficult.
Getting back to earth, this is the season of deep or metallic coloured totes (or black of course), best in mark-free textured leather and roomy enough to hold everything. Michael Michael Kors ran away with this a couple of years ago and is still leading the way with ease, every season bringing out new colours for us to lust over. Most of his bags have now become 'classics' - you want the same bag in several colours, or do you?
DKNY has always designed very good totes and bags, some with logos and some without. Her scarf bag (above) and logo bags are her classics and she has new designs to offer each season. As a tote collector my last was a DKNY because the label is harder to find, surprisingly, and a little different.
You won’t find many pockets inside some of these bags although most have a phone compartment and a zipped pocket. Some stores don’t give you anything like enough detail although they're getting much better so make sure you check. You don’t find outer pockets on many of these bags, not a bad thing (unless they’re zipped) as they’d be all too easy for someone to slip their hand into and remove your mobile.
Most of the bags here come in different colours, so if you’re looking for a specific colour don’t give up - best places to shop for DKNY and Michael Kors are Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis and House of Fraser.
The other great thing about these bags, unlike some, is that they start off very light, totally necessary if, like me, you carry all your worldly goods around with you and them some. Somehow I never manage to pack light…………so a shoulder strap or shoulder tote is essential.
