I realized I was obsessed with the best Madewell tote ever made when I spent an August in Italy with friends a few years ago. A friend and I rented a villa for a month and hosted rotating groups of our besties in the Florentine suburbs, in the town of Marcialla, population: 300. With that as our home base, we drove to see the Palio di Siena, dined at Michelin-starred Linfa in San Gimignano, posed with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and many other activities that, as I think about it now, make me dearly miss the rolling hills of Tuscany and those cypress trees that pierced the pale blue sky. But there’s one thing I remember most clearly about that trip, mainly because it was featured in almost every single photo my friends took of me: a bulging yet fabulous leather satchel attached to my right hip: The Madewell Zip-Top Transport Tote.
I first got it in 2021, prior to a trip to Vienna; I wanted something classy but hardy to bring along for day-time exploring, and it’s pictured in nearly every Instagram post from that trip, too. There’s an all-purpose elegance to it, suitable for nearly all occasions: farmer’s market, museum tour, office, airport, anything. There’s also a very collegiate vibe to it; paired with an oversized tweed blazer and some medium-wash jeans, it gives “if Princess Diana went to Vassar.” All to say: I have never needed another bag since I got it. And I think it’s an excellent go-to bag for any traveler who wants something functional and handsome, largely genderless, and built to last.
Here are the specs: Its size makes it an ideal carry-all. It’s about 12 inches tall and 11 inches wide, with a depth of about 5.5 inches. On most days, I fit a Macbook Air into it easily, alongside a notebook, an umbrella, a packed lunch, and a smaller pouch for my loose items like an Aesop hand balm and those rewetting drops for contact lenses (if you know you know). It has a small interior pocket with a small zipper (in it, I keep my keys, AirPods, pens, lip balm—it’s my easy access spot), and an exterior pocket that where I keep—as I write these words—some sanitizing wipes from a United flight I took last month. Whenever I take the tote with me up in the air, that’s usually where I keep my passport and boarding pass; the pocket is deep enough that they don’t risk falling out of the bag.
I wear this tote most often as a crossbody; the strap has an adjustable drop, from 14 to 19 inches. The shoulder drop, at about 8.5 inches, is perfect for carrying it over my shoulder like my poor battered New Yorker tote, or carrying it by hand as it does not skim the ground. (I am 5’9”, if you’re curious—and single.) The leather—a warm caramel kind of brown—has only gotten softer and more supple with time. It has a few scratches and scars (same), but it only adds to my character—I mean, the tote’s character. And worry not, dear reader: It also looks great in black.
If you’re more of a backpack person, then this isn’t for you. Also, if you need a commuter bag that can hold your gym clothes, this probably won’t work out; I unfortunately can’t fit my running shoes in this tote next to last night’s restaurant leftovers. But for everything else—from the 25th floor of One World Trade Center to Terminal 1 at New York-JFK to the Italian peninsula—the Madewell Transport Tote has been my stalwart companion for the last three years, and I’m sure many more to come.
