I spotted I used to be obsessive about one of the best Madewell tote ever made once I spent an August in Italy with associates a number of years in the past. A pal and I rented a villa for a month and hosted rotating teams of our besties within the Florentine suburbs, within the city of Marcialla, inhabitants: 300. With that as our house base, we drove to see the Palio di Siena, dined at Michelin-starred Linfa in San Gimignano, posed with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and plenty of different actions that, as I give it some thought now, make me dearly miss the rolling hills of Tuscany and people cypress timber that pierced the pale blue sky. However there’s one factor I keep in mind most clearly about that journey, primarily as a result of it was featured in nearly each single photograph my associates took of me: a bulging but fabulous leather-based satchel connected to my proper hip: The Madewell Zip-Top Transport Tote.
I first bought it in 2021, previous to a visit to Vienna; I wished one thing stylish however hardy to deliver alongside for day-time exploring, and it’s pictured in almost each Instagram publish from that journey, too. There’s an all-purpose magnificence to it, suitable for nearly all occasions: farmer’s market, museum tour, workplace, airport, something. There’s additionally a really collegiate vibe to it; paired with an outsized tweed blazer and a few medium-wash denims, it provides “if Princess Diana went to Vassar.” All to say: I’ve by no means wanted one other bag since I bought it. And I feel it’s a wonderful go-to bag for any traveler who desires one thing practical and good-looking, largely genderless, and constructed to final.
Listed below are the specs: Its dimension makes it a great carry-all. It’s about 12 inches tall and 11 inches large, with a depth of about 5.5 inches. On most days, I match a Macbook Air into it simply, alongside a pocket book, an umbrella, a packed lunch, and a smaller pouch for my free gadgets like an Aesop hand balm and people rewetting drops for contact lenses (if ). It has a small inside pocket with a small zipper (in it, I maintain my keys, AirPods, pens, lip balm—it’s my easy accessibility spot), and an exterior pocket that the place I maintain—as I write these phrases—some sanitizing wipes from a United flight I took final month. Each time I take the tote with me up within the air, that’s often the place I maintain my passport and boarding go; the pocket is deep sufficient that they don’t threat falling out of the bag.
I put on this tote most frequently as a crossbody; the strap has an adjustable drop, from 14 to 19 inches. The shoulder drop, at about 8.5 inches, is ideal for carrying it over my shoulder like my poor battered New Yorker tote, or carrying it by hand because it doesn’t skim the bottom. (I’m 5’9”, should you’re curious—and single.) The leather-based—a heat caramel form of brown—has solely gotten softer and extra supple with time. It has a number of scratches and scars (identical), nevertheless it solely provides to my character—I imply, the tote’s character. And fear not, expensive reader: It additionally seems nice in black.
In case you’re more of a backpack person, then this isn’t for you. Additionally, should you want a commuter bag that may maintain your gymnasium garments, this in all probability received’t work out; I sadly can’t match my running shoes on this tote subsequent to final evening’s restaurant leftovers. However for every thing else—from the twenty fifth flooring of One World Commerce Heart to Terminal 1 at New York-JFK to the Italian peninsula—the Madewell Transport Tote has been my stalwart companion for the final three years, and I’m certain many extra to return.
