The Best Totes Hold All Your Stuff and Look Smart Over Your Shoulder
Designers have found an astounding variety of ways to breathe new life into this always useful, always smart-looking bag. The simple marriage of straps and pouch has been especially prevalent on runways of late, and given its toss-everything-in-and-go effortlessness, it’s easy to see why. Each of these five totes will hold all your stuff, look handsome slung over your shoulder, and, best of all, give you one really good reason to stop collecting flimsy free schwag versions of the classic bag now and forever.
The Outdoorsman’s Tote
Rugged Suede Tote
$475, buy now from Filson
Launched in 1897 as a purveyor of durable clothing for pioneering men with a love of the outdoors, Filson has remained a vital American clothier for more than a century. And yet this version of the classic tote has enough style to be useful on the trail or in the city, with its chocolate brown, tactile boot-grade waterproof suede tanned by the Horween Leather Company in Chicago. It features two vegetable-tanned leather handles (by Wickett & Craig in Pennsylvania) connected to the main body with solid brass sand-cast hardware at the perfect length—so that if you carry it by your side, it won’t scrape the ground (but there’s still enough room to carry it comfortably on your shoulder). Two interior pockets sit at the gusset, leaving the main body open to carry larger items, and the leather bottom will wear in beautifully over time while protecting the bag’s integrity. It’s a product so flawless, it must have taken those 120 years to perfect—but it was well worth the wait.
The Polite Tote
3.1 Phillip Lim Have a Nice Day Slim North-South Tote
$450, buy now at Phillip Lim
Made from Italian tanned leather and featuring a slim silhouette, this bag is slightly slouchy and very friendly, mirroring the casual ease that Phillip Lim’s namesake brand is known for. The painted-on logo is definitely going to be a talking point, or can be a silent friendly message. As the brand notes, “slogans come and go, but good manners are forever in fashion.”
The Classic Redux
Hopper black herringbone N|S tote
$925, buy now at Hopper
Made in New York, this bag combines supple leather with black-and-white wool herringbone, a throwback to classic menswear tailoring moves, but updated with just enough modern appeal to make it an interesting twist on an old standby. The textile is offset with a leather pocket and handles and black buffalo trim, and the interior is lined with cotton canvas. The mix of fabrics makes this an unexpected but totally attractive must-have.
The Versatile Tote
Want Les Essentiels, O’Hare Shopper Tote
$250, buy now at East Dane
The brothers behind this cult Canadian label, Byron and Dexter Peart, were somehow able to make a truly functional item even more so. You can haul this bad boy two different ways—two handles to carry in your hand or a detachable cross-body strap—and it features four deep interior pockets with leather snaps for transporting anything and everything the day may require. It’s made from luxurious Italian nylon that’s resistant to water and moisture and impervious to tearing, and also gives a smooth, textured finish.
The Look-at-Me Tote
Thom Browne tote in black pebble-grain leather; red, white, and blue stripe in calf leather
$1,900, buy now at Thom Browne
Leave it to sly menswear maverick Thom Browne to make a tote that’s both classic and stop-you-in-your-tracks bold. The bag is made (in Italy) from textured black pebble-grain leather and features a diagonal red, white, and blue calf leather inlay and a matching grosgrain-ribbon detail above the exterior zip pocket—a preppy-meets-patriotic signature of the brand. The bag’s brash, graphic look is a perfect match for its strict shape, and those two elements combined mean you should be prepared to catch some eyes and get noticed when carrying this guy around.
