A tote is the most useful thing in most closets and the least styled. It gets grabbed on the way out the door and never really considered.
Which is a shame, because a tote is doing more visual work than almost anything else you carry. It sits at your hip, in every photo, all day long. Here are five ways to make it look deliberate.
1. Treat It as the Color Anchor
Instead of matching your bag to your shoes, do the opposite: build the outfit around the bag. If the tote has warm rust and gold in it, pull one of those colors into something small elsewhere — a scrunchie, a hem, a jacket lining that shows when you push your sleeves.
One repeated color reads as intentional. Three matched items read as a uniform.
2. Shorten the Straps
Most totes are made with long straps so they clear a coat. Worn over a t-shirt, they hang too low and pull the whole silhouette down.
Tie a simple knot in each strap, high near the seam, and try it in a mirror. Raising a bag two or three inches changes your proportions more than almost any other adjustment. If you like it, that knot can stay permanently, or you can have the straps shortened properly.
3. Wear It Across the Body
A longer-strapped tote worn crossbody instead of on the shoulder turns a school bag into something that looks styled. It also frees both hands, which matters more than fashion advice usually admits.
This works best with a softer, unstructured tote. A stiff one will not sit flat against you.
4. Give It Structure From the Inside
A slumped, half-empty tote looks tired. A tote with a little shape looks like a bag.
You do not need an insert. A folded scarf, a flat notebook, or a small zip pouch laid along the bottom gives it a base and keeps everything from collecting in one sad corner. This is the single easiest upgrade on the list.
5. Add One Small Thing
A ribbon tied at the strap base. A single embroidered patch on a bottom corner rather than dead center. A charm that means something to you.
The rule is one. Two is a collection, and a collection needs a reason. One small addition looks like a choice.
Keeping a Handmade Tote Looking New
- Spot clean first. Most marks come out with cool water and a little gentle soap on a cloth.
- If it needs a full wash, turn it inside out and wash cold on a gentle cycle.
- Never put a handmade tote in a hot dryer. Air dry it flat, reshaped by hand while damp.
- Store it standing up or lightly stuffed, not crushed at the bottom of a closet.
There is more on this in the care guide, including what to do about a pulled thread before it becomes a hole.
She is clothed with strength and dignity.
— Proverbs 31:25
Why I Keep Making Totes
Of everything I make, totes get used the hardest. Hoodies get saved for good days. A tote goes to school, to the grocery store, to church, to the car and back a hundred times.
That is exactly why I like making them. Something used that often should be worth looking at. If you want to see the current ones, they are in the shop, and each one exists only once.