Best New Season Work Totes

I started a new job this week, and so have been looking for a new handbag – a tote, roomy enough to accommodate my purse, make-up bag, keys, ipad and phone, but not something enormous that would take the kitchen sink. I’m also looking for one that is sturdy enough to be thrown in the basket of the Princess, and yet smart enough to look professional in the workplace.

These are my favourite five totes chosen from Harrods New Season Collection AW 2014:

1. 3.1 Phillip Lim Medium Pashli Satchel
£710 – harrods.com

Satchels are all the rage at the moment, but they are a bit too schoolgirly for me. This gorgeous bag takes all the practicality of the satchel style, but glamourises it in a burnished metallic leather with modern styling details. I love!

2. MARC BY MARC JACOBS Marc by Marc Jacobs What’s The T Tote
£265 – harrods.com

The most affordable of my options, this Marc Jacobs tote fulfills all my criteria – it is practical and stylish at the same time, easy to carry, and I like its simplicity. It is understated yet elegant at the same time.

3. Dolce Gabbana Medium Sicily Woven Shopping Tote
£3115 – harrods.com

This one, the most expensive, but just look closer at all the detail and you will see why. There is something of a Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops) look to this bag, which is probably why I chose it, and I am a sucker for leopardskin lining!

4. See by Chloé Harriet Hobo Bag
£375 – harrods.com

This bag looks like it would be so touchable, as it is made from super-soft nubuck leather. It’s a spacious bag and has a vertical zipped pocket at the side, which looks useful and takes it above a standard throw-it-all-in-the-top tote. I imagine this bag lasting for years and years, becoming like an old friend or a comfy pair of slippers.

5. Alexander Wang Prisma Skeletal Satchel
£910 – harrods.com

This bag is just to die for! It features a crocodile embossed grey lambskin exterior and signature metal right angle corners, and a removable leather shoulder strap. Swoon. I’m not sure I would thrown this one in the basket of my bike, it is just too good – but it is my favourite pick of the bunch.

Which is your favourite from my choices? Or do you have any other recommendations? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

This is my first time using Polyvore for a blog post. If you click on the links, you will get to see the items in more detail.