Choosing the Right Size Bag

A tote that carries a laptop without turning into a briefcase is the hardest shape to get right. Here is an honest guide, measured from the bags themselves rather than from a spec sheet.

Totes and top handles

Marlowe Tote takes a fourteen inch laptop in a sleeve with room left for a folder and a water bottle. Corbin Tote covers the same footprint in a wider east-west proportion, which suits a larger machine.

A note on load

Every crossbody, clutch and mini in the collection is a small bag by design. We would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong thing.

If you commute with a laptop every day, choose a tote with the detachable strap and alternate shoulders. The handle is never the limiting factor — the shoulder is.

A word on the unstructured shapes. Halle and Noor Woven are soft-bodied, so a laptop will fit, but the base loses its line under the load. We would not choose one as a commuter bag.

Isla, Tova and Sera are built for a tablet and a notebook. Sera takes a small laptop at a push, though the slouch presses the leather at the corners over time.