One bag, five days: dressing a structured tote for the week

From a Monday meeting to Friday dinner, how one well-cut tote carries the whole working week.

Start with what you use most

The best bag is the one that fits how you already live. Think about what you carry, where you go and for how long, before you think about the colour.

Look at the details

Painted edges, stitches close together and hardware with weight to it tell you more than any label. Good leather smells of leather, not of glue.

• Open it and look at the lining and the pockets.
• Try the strap length over a coat.
• Keep the dust bag, and use it.

Let it age

Full-grain leather darkens where you hold it and softens where it bends. That is the point: in a year it will be yours alone.

A good bag gets better the more you carry it.

Ask when unsure

We make every bag we sell, so write to us with any question about one and we answer within a working day.