Bag Review: Michael Kors North/South Tote

Drumroll please . . . introducing the official school bag!  The Michael Kors large North/South Tote in Saffiano Leather.  (and the angels rejoiced, as did Mr. C who was tired of me agonizing over bags)

Michael Kors North/South Tote

Let me start by saying that this was NOT the bag I was planning on getting.  Feeling a little desperate after so many misses, I actually decided that finding the perfect bag that was roomy, stylish, and practical was about as likely as finding a unicorn.  I wanted to just make a decision and stop obsessing thinking about it.  So, I decided to bite the bullet and just get the Rebecca Minkoff M.A.B. tote.  It was a little plain, but at 16 inches wide and 6 inches deep, it was by far the biggest bag I'd found.

Minkoff M.A.B. Tote

So, the decision had been made.  The bag was sitting in my Nordstrom online shopping cart.  I could stop trolling the internet late at night looking at purses, and yet, somehow I kept putting off pulling the trigger.  I was happy with my decision but I just wasn't excited about it.  I wanted that rush that I'd felt when I fell for the Tory Burch boots.

Fast forward to the weekend before school started (yes, I was that unexcited about it, which should have been a clue).  Mr. C and I were taking a much needed break from arguing with Ikea to walk around Soho and we decided to pop into the Michael Kors store.  I explained to the sales clerk what I was looking for and she brought out a tote that was very similar in size and style to the Minkoff M.A.B..  Ok, so good so far, I could get an idea of whether or not the bag would work for me.  It was roomy, check. Pretty, check. So good, so far . . . until I looked up and saw myself in the mirror.

Turns out, if you're under 5'3", gigantic bags look kind of ridiculous next to you.  I'm pretty sure I could have stood in that bag and Mr. C could have just carried me to class everyday.  It kind of makes sense though, right? Carrying something that's about a quarter of your height should look a bit disproportionate.  Soooooo, back to square one . . . and that's when I saw the North/South tote.  I'd actually looked at this bag waaay back in June, but had thought it would be too small for school.  But, once I saw it in person, I realized that it's actually quite roomy.  It's 13 inches high and 5.5 inches deep but because it's a taller bag (14 inches high), it actually fits a lot more than some of the others that I was looking at. In addition, the strap at the top unbuckles, giving you more room on the sides. Here's how it looks on a typical school day:

The shoulder strap is one of my favorite features. Also, it's hard to see in the photos, but the leather has a cross-hatch texture (apparently that's what makes it "saffiano") and is a lot sturdier and easier to clean than typical leather.  Case in point, one of my first days, I spilled a glass of wine on it was worried there'd be some slight discoloration, but everything wiped off with a damp cloth. (I've also realized I should drink white wine at nice functions . . . )

My one issue with the bag is that it is a little heavy, even before I put my laptop and books in it, it's already 3.5 pounds.  But that's also forcing me to be a little more judicious with what I bring to school instead of toting around a bunch of stuff that I don't need.  I may get a backpack for more casual days when I'm carting around more items than usual . . . but I'm still undecided on that. 

So there you have it! A bag that I can take to school and that would also work well in the professional world! 

(P.S. here's my review of the bags that didn't  work out)