At long last I finally purchased my new bag and 30th birthday present to myself. After much searching I decided to go with the Secret Love large tote in mahogany from Francesco Biasia.

So far after using the bag for a couple weeks I am glad I made this purchase. The bag isn’t perfect but its a great everyday commuting bag that’s cool to look at and stands out in the sea of average bags.

First off the good stuff. The bag does fit my tupperware container of lunch that I carry with me everyday. I’m going to look into some taller, skinner tupperware for a better fit but overall I can bring my lunch to work without having to cram it in. The two main pockets are useful to keep stuff separate but everything is still roomy. It has the standard zip pocket and cell pockets as well as two flap pockets on each side. I also like the silver clip in the front that holds the main flap and the pull tie. I addition, I started using this bag when we were having major daily down pours in Boston and the leather withstood the rain and dried out just fine.

What could be improved: The lining of the bag. Its a dull off white with the Francesco Biasia logo. A bag with this rich brown color is screaming for an equally rich contrasting lining. I have no idea why they went with something so boring. Also, I love the braided handles but they tend to pinch my shoulders if they twist up at all.

So overall although there are a few design flaws I enjoy carrying this bag with me everyday. I’ve only seen one other person on the street besides me carry this bag so it is nice to be unique.

One my most recent trip to Old Navy I discovered that the Floral Tote looked just as good in person as it did online, and for $16.50 I had to have it. So far it has been an excellent commuting bag.

My previous commuting bag was getting a little old, and it wasn’t deep enough to fit my lunch without having to cram it in there. This bag fits everything I need during the day, with a little extra room to stow my hat, gloves, and scarf when I get to work. As predicted the straps are a little too short but the do fit over some of my less bulky jackets.

Plus this is the time of year when Boston gets cold and grey and it seems like winter will never end, and I start to crave anything brght green to cheer me up. Last year it was a Green leather tote from the Gap which I still really like. I am enjoying the “O’Donell Green” of my new Old Navy bag and the pretty flowers remind me that soon it really will be spring.

As I started to look around for a new commuting bag, I returned to the basics. A Kate Spade Nylon Messenger bag. I had to laugh when I decided on that bag since I have wanted one since around 1999 when they first came out (I think) which was when I started working in Boston, and for the first time was exposed to fancy designer bags everyday as I walked down the street.

I started looking for this bag on ebay a few years ago, but it was still too popular and the bids always went higher then I wanted to spend. But now, since the bag is so old and not as popular it was actually easy to find one on ebay. Because I didn’t buy it in a store I can’t be 100% sure that it is authentic, but it looks pretty good to me. Just to be on the safe side I am going to pop into a Kate Spade store one of these days to compare.

I do wish there were more pockets (why don’t bag makers GET this???) and I almost got the diaper bag version since I liked the inside pockets. But I’m able to fit a day’s worth of stuff inside including my lunch and a book to read, so the size is just right for me. Plus the nylon cleans up well, and when I got caught in the rain the other day walking home the bag looks just fine once it dried up.

I almost didn’t buy this bag because I felt that it was a couple years old, outdated, and I should be a little more “cutting edge” but then I realized that if I liked it since 1999 then chances are I won’t get sick of it anytime soon.

You can read reviews about this bag over at ebags.com.