Stamp of Approval: my favourite oversize tote

It might be because I’m a mom, or maybe because I’m an organizing freak, but I seem to bring a ton of stuff with me when I leave the house.

What can I say, I like to be prepared. So my bags usually contain, aside from the usual suspects (phone, wallet, documents, keys, tissues) also cosmetic case filled with beauty essentials (1-2 chapsticks, 2-3 lip glosses, mini mascara, mini cheek tint, face powder) and one with miscellaneous just-in-case items (bach Flower Rescue Remedy, a few band aids, a ponytail holder or two, miniature deodorant, hand cream, eye drops). Then of course there’s the mom essentials: a bottle of water, a couple of snacks (nothing that will stain the lining of the bag, though!), a sun hat and/or a cardi for Stella, my sunglasses in their case, sometimes an umbrella, possibly a book or a magazine.

No wonder I go for large bags.

When I travel, it’s even worse – especially if we are going on a road trip or if I’m traveling alone with the girls. I have a couple of overnight bags but I find them impractical to use as handbags: they are cumbersome to carry around and keep at my feet in the car, not to mention it’s impossible to find anything in them.

An oversize tote is really the best bet in these cases, but I have a hard time finding one I like. I bought a cotton canvas one at Target two summers ago and had completely destroyed it by the end of our vacation.

I was considering my options while getting ready for my trip to Sardinia in April, when I received a package in the mail – a set I knew was coming was really excited about, but that arrived even earlier than I thought, just in time for my trip! And what great timing it was, as the set was surprisingly well-suited for my needs; better, it was perfect.

The set: the Tory Burch sail tote and its matching wallet:

These items surpassed my expectations. The colors are beautiful in real life, the pieces are extremely sturdy and well-made, the wallet is perfect to keep tickets and travel documents, and the tote is huge!! Here it is, kindly demonstrated by Stella

(sorry about the poor image quality, this was taken with my iPhone)

Because it’s made for sailing, the tote is made of sturdy cotton canvas and nylon; it’s deep but not too wide, perfect to place at your feet in the car (or on a boat, I guess ); it has two large side pockets and it can be zipped completely closed so everything you stashed in stays in. The handles are a perfect length: short enough to be able to hold it in your hand, but with enough drop to be abe to also slide your arm in and carry the tote on your shoulder – which was super handy while walking through the airport while holding Stella’s hand and trying to keep Sarah close.

And once you get to your destination this tote can double up as a great beach or pool bag, since splashes of water won’t ruin it, and it’s large enough to fit two large towels and some smaller essentials like your sun lotion, magazines etc. Your iPod, phone, keys and other smaller, more delicate items will be safe from scratches and splashed and out of sight if you stash them in one of the two zippered pockets.

In other words, it’s the summer tote par excellence.

I had no idea until I started working on this post and went looking for it, but the sail tote seems to be sold out in this size. If you prefer smaller bags however, you are in luck: the Sail Tote also comes in  a smaller size, which normally retails for $235 but is currently on sale on the Tory Burch online shop for $165. It is also available in fuchsia and orange, full price, at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

The sail wallet is also on sale for $130 (originally $185) at Tory Burch, where it’s also available in blue and turquoise.

If you, like me, prefer the oversize tote, there is another really cute option: the Tory Burch Printed Canvas Duffel Bag basically looks the same as the large sail tote, except it’s all cotton canvas (instead of canvas and nylon) and it has detachable a shoulder/cross-body strap included. It comes in three different prints (I am partial to the colorful camouflage print) and it’s also on sale at Nordstrom for $148 (originally $225.)

What do you think? Is this something you’d carry? Or are you a “bare minimum” person when it comes to bags?