Saint Laurent Tote Bag Review

Who doesn’t love a good bag? I blame the Kookaï satchel trend of 2002 that kick started things off (FUN FACT: I just googled ‘Kookaï satchel 2002‘ and a picture of me came up which is definitely my career highlight, but also signifies that I’ve told this ancedote before, so moving on…). Basically I’ve always had a bit of a thing for bags, shoes and coats, which are also Mark’s weaknesses. He always approves of any new purchases which is exactly why he’s marriage material. Perhaps his favourite purchase of mine is this Saint Laurent Tote Bag, which I have to say I think might be one of my favourites too.

I’ve filmed a ‘What’s In My Bag’ video so have a scroll down below to watch that. Despite the ‘seen it before’ title, I promise it’s something a little different and slightly more exciting than ones I’ve done in the past so please have a watch and let me know what you think. For today’s post though I thought I’d give you more of a detailed review on the look, practically and styling of the bag. I’m covering all bases here…

LOOK. Things don’t get more minimal than this. There’s very little detailing here with just the two thin, but non-dig-in straps and then a removable zipped pouch inside for any extras that you want to give an extra layer of security too. The bag is a classic tote shape and the leather is soft, but holds it’s shape when it’s sat down on a flat surface. The best bit is the leather which is grained just the point of not being a complete pain in the arse when it comes to scratching, but is still soft to the touch. In terms of scratching there’s only one larger one that I got on the first day of wearing it – YAY! But it’s not that deep, nor noticeable to anyone but me. Overall I’d say this is a pretty hardy bag.

PRACTICALITY. This is the best bit – it’s huge. Like seriously huge. You can pack everything you need in here – laptop, notepads, emergency extra layers of clothing – whatever. In fact this makes it a great weekender bag, or a weekday work bag too. Things do tend to poke through the leather a bit when you really stuff it full, but so far I’ve yet to stretch it and it always pings back into place when I remove the offending item. It’s completely wipeable too and it’s just the underside of the leather inside, there’s no lining, which I quite like because there’s one less thing to worry about ruining and that you have to clean.

STYLING. Because the bag is so sleek and simple, there’s nothing that it doesn’t go with. I could probably just leave this section there. Due to the fact that it’s a Mary Poppins-esque thing of beauty though, I tend to wear it in a more casual way; either at the weekends or on days when I’m travelling to London because packing is never an issue. In the video I show it worn with an all-black outfit which I love, however I think my favourite way to wear it is in a really slouchy way like I have above, just with my Acne Studios Jeans, Frame Jumper and Converse. What is it about Converse that just make everything look 100% cooler and comfier?

So there you have it – can you tell that I’m in love? If you want a workhorse bag to add to your collection then you know what to do…

Photos by Mark Newton

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