Top-Zip Tote, Chocolate, One Size

The construction and leather quality are excellent. I really, really hoped this bag would work. I'm 5'2" and petite and, unfortunately, there were a number of drawbacks for me. 1) The straps were too wide/long and fell off my shoulders. They'd probably work well for a larger/taller person. Rolled straps such as those on the Piel leather "small tote bag" (which I also tried) would work much better. 2) The zipper extends only to the width of the bag. I had to hold onto the bag itself to pull it across. A zipper with extended tabs would work better and protect the top corners of the bag. 3) The exterior pocket is shallow and doesn't hold my cell phone well. 4) The interior pockets are also shallow and my keys fell out of two of them to the bottom of the bag. I tried the pockets unzipped since I'd normally have my keys in an unzipped pocket for easy access. 5) The interior doesn't have a structured bottom and the lining is not attached at the base. My kindle snagged on it and pulled the lining up when I took the kindle out of the bag. My suggestions to Piel: rolled straps; an exterior pocket that extends the entire height of the bag; an interior structured/firm base with the lining attached; drop in pockets; and a zipper that extends beyond the edges of the bag.

So wonderful to find a "leather" bag made of actual, old-fashioned, non-processed (at least I think it is, or isn't) full-grain leather! Oh, and to find such a bag NOT MADE IN CHINA! I have recently purchased other "leather" totes from another manufacturer/source to find that they smell chemical-like, or just gross. But this smells like the saddles and the good bags of my youth, and I am really pleased. I ordered the red, and I'm bummed because the photo made the red look more like cognac, or a browner red. This is a clear red, no bones about it, a little too happy and bright for me, though I'll give it a day or so to grow on me before making up my mind. Inside the bag, it's lined with a khaki cloth, light enough to be able to see what's inside. It's big enough for my chromebook, and the zipper on top makes it secure.Update: After checking several Piel bags out, I found that the dark brown leather in this style was the most luxurious looking, and the leather the thickest. It seems Piel uses different types of leather for different bags.

Received it quickly and well packaged. Great bag for the price. The leather feels and looks great! I would say the only cost cutting is in the lining. While it seems adequate and secure, it is of a lesser quality fabric than a higher end tote bag. Love the zipper close top. Straps appear durable. Outside slip pocket for phone and keys. Standard inside zipper pocket in the lining plus a leather slip pocket that has an additional zipper pocket on the outside of it. So three inside pockets! I recommend it and consider it a bargain buy.UPDATE:After using this bag for a few months I have lowered my initial rating. It is possibly worth it's price. But, really never near a $180 Dollar bag. If you use the inside pockets, the weight in them will pull down the top opening edge as the liner is flimsy and not stabilized. So in a few months it looks saggy.

Piel clearly makes quality leather products! I'm returning THIS bag because I'm KEEPING THE OTHER ONE... the PIEL LEATHER MEDIUM SHOPPING BAG, which I LOVE!!!The latter is sufficiently larger than this tote and easily accommodates what I need to carry to work. It also has a zippered top plus 3 interior zippered compartments plus outer pockets (3 on one side and 1 on one end). The bottom is 6" wide and it stands upright easily. The straps are just the right length for carrying it on my shoulder and easily keeping it behind my arm (I'm 5'3").The leather is beautiful. I got the "chocolate" color and it's gorgeous.

I really liked the bag as far as the size and style, but the straps were awkward. They were too wide to sit comfortably on my shoulder and they also wouldn't lay flat. I knew this was going to aggravate me so I returned it. Features that I really liked were the outside pocket which was perfect for easy access to your phone. The leather was very soft and the color was just as shown on the site. I really wanted to love it, I just couldn't get over the straps! I'm fairly petite, so this may be less of a problem on someone with broader shoulders.

Really like the purse with a light colored lining so one can see what's inside--one exterior pocket, three interior pockets--two zippered. Only complaint is that the zipper pull is hard to grasp. If it had a hole in the pull, like most zippers, I could attach a ring or piece of leather making is easier to open.

This was a nice tote, but I didn't think it was substantial enough for my needs . The leather was very soft and supple . I need more hard core leather w/ a few divides and pockets.

Smaller than expected. I liked it, but I returned it.