As a consultant, I am always on travel. Scratch that, I'm
actually rarely at home. I see my apartment sometimes one weekend in a month
and so I'm literally living out of a suitcase for sometimes weeks at a time.
During my travel flurries, I've learned how to pack minimally and (hopefully)
stylishly. One major must-have for my on-the-go lifestyle has always been a
good, classic tote.
After looking through several different bags, I settled on trying out the Michael Kors Jet Set Tote in black sometime last year and after months of wear and tear, it has proven itself to be on my list of highly recommended travel bags. When I first purchased this tote, I had high expectations that I was hoping it could fulfill. I wanted a bag that would fit a 15 inch laptop and all accessories (charger, mouse, wallet, etc.), yet still have leftover room and not look bulky. It had to be durable as this bag was going to be thrown on floors and slid under airplane seats among other horrific things. After nearly a year later, this bag has really lived up to its name and I wanted to write about how awesome this bag really is.
Sizes:
The MK tote comes in varying sizes (small, medium, large)
and colors. The large tote is meant to fit a 15 inch laptop, while the medium
fits a 13inch and the small will fit a kindle or iPad. I purchased the large
jet set tote in black because of the classic design and the fact that I’d have
a hard time ruining it. But honestly, who can go wrong with a black leather
tote? I fell in love with the sleek and timeless, yet simple design. The
outside is void of decoration minus the Michael Kors nameplate in gold.
Despite the outside being simple, the inside has a lot of
great features for a frequent traveler. The bag is divided into 3 sections,
with a close zip middle section made for holding a laptop. The back of the bag
has a zip pocket for smaller loose items and a key leash to chain your keys to
the purse (perfect for never losing your keys). Additionally the inside front
section has more pockets for storage such as a phone, work badge, business
cards, pens, etc.
Space:
In terms of space, the largest available size of this tote
is very roomy. On a weekly basis, it easily holds my 15 inch laptop, charger,
mouse, wallet, keys, my packed lunch (consisting of 2 glass Tupperware
containers), and other small tid bits. Despite this bag being jam packed, I can
still convince the flight attendants that it’s in compliance as a handbag.
Durability:
This bag is constructed of a durable saffiano leather. Of
course that really does not mean anything until you put it to the test. Despite
being put on random floors, shoved under airplane seats, and even being doused
in beer (unfortunate accidents happen in Mexico, apparently), this bag has been
able to keep most of its original shape quite well. To further highlight my
surprise of what you can do to this bag and bring up said unfortunate beer
accident, my husband accidentally poured some beer into my bag while in Mexico
and once we got to the hotel, I took everything out and completely soaked my
bag underwater with soap in the sink to get rid of the beer smell. I laid it
out on our balcony to dry and the leather held up really well. It was a bit
misshapen at first but over time it eventually bent back into the original
shape. The leather in general is very resistant to being stretched and bent
despite being put to heavy use and purchasing this tote in a dark color means
never having to worry about stains. I also have not had any issues with any of
the seams or hardware coming loose.
Pricing:
Although this tote is a bit of a splurge, it is definitely
affordable. I purchased mine for $298 at the time and there are always sales
for this bag in seasonal colors in stores like Macy’s so if you’re aiming to
purchase one but not at the boutique price there are chances to buy them in the
high $100s, low $200s on sale.
Overall:
Given the price paid, style, functionality, and all the
mishaps this tote has gone through, it is well worth it to purchase this bag
for frequent travel. Weekly travel can easily wear and tear a good bag down but
this tote seems to be able to take it well. I would buy this tote again if
given the chance.