Classic Totes!

A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked for some suggestions for a nice laptop-sized tote with interior pockets for a reasonable price.  I actually just recently bought a tote so I had already done quite a bit of online shopping.  Here were some of my top picks/contenders.  They are all handmade because as a fellow artist and crafter, I really want to support other handmade artists.

1. French Tote w/ Leather Strap

Brand: ikabags

Price: $129.00
Shipping to US: $32.96

These totes are handmade in France and have been featured in many magazines including Martha Stewart, Better Home and Gardens, and the Huffington Post.  I love the beautiful texture of the linen.  Because each bag is made to order, you can choose your color of your tote, as well as the color of the interior.  The interior has 6 useful pockets, which is uncommon for tote bags.  It's a bit expensive for a non-leather bag, but it's well worth the price for the beautiful materials and the simple, classic style.

2. Canvas Tote w/ Monogram

Brand: Get a Grip! Bags
Price: $69.00
Shipping to US: $11.00

Cotton canvas handmade bags in a ton of colors including grey, yellow, green, pink, black, etc.  These are really nice because you can get them monogrammed with your initials.  There is one pocket on the inside, but there are is no clasp to the bag.  If you were thinking about buying it though, it would be pretty easy to insert one in (a strong magnet or a snap-clasp maybe).  It's relatively inexpensive price makes it a really good deal for a sturdy tote that will last quite a few years.

3. French Tote w/ Leather Bottom

Brand: ikabags
Price: $129.00
Shipping to US: $35.96

Another bag by ikabags.  I actually like this one more - I think the leather bottom elevates this simple tote to more of a luxury item.  I also like the simplicity of the clasp although I can't imagine it's more useful than a magnet-clasp.  This one also has 6 pockets and a waterproof lining!

4. Heirloom Tote | also available here

Brand: Rib and Hull
Price: $300 on their official site, $285 on their etsy store (I have no idea why the prices are different)
Shipping to US: $17.50 on the official site, $20.00 on their etsy store

I actually just bought this tote during Rib and Hull's summer sale (you can sign up for their newsletter and get sale notifications) for $225 instead of $300. I've been lusting after this for literally 3 years and I finally snatched it up when the summer sale hit.

I love it. It's really light, especially for a leather bag and the quality is really nice. It fits a laptop perfectly but isn't so big that things get lost in it. The only thing is there isn't a zipper (although Rib and Hull has versions with zippers here) and the magnets that hold the top of the bag together aren't very strong. I usually don't/can't use them. Oh, and there is only one inner pocket, which might not be enough for many people.

This classic tote comes in a few other colors including black, oxblood, and sometimes a really unique bottle green.

Here's mine:

When I first received the bag, I was a bit disappointed because it was a bit shinier than I expected.  I actually almost returned the bag because of it, but I started to use it and the shininess seemed okay to me.  I know it'll be easier to clean, so eventually I got over it.

It fits everything I ever need, including enough room for my big lunch and my laptop! Definitely recommend this one.

5. Sophie Tote

Brand: Rennes Studio
Price: $300 (sometimes there are sales if you check their blog)
Shipping to US: $14

The linen lining on this one is really gorgeous.  Super well-made bag with really soft leather (a contrast with the slightly stiffer Rib and Hull one).  I definitely considered this one for a long long time.  Rennes Studio's bags also have great flat straps which are so much more comfortable than rounded or folded straps.

They also have a gorgeous unlined bag for $290.

6. Yelapa Leather Tote

Brand: Scout and Catalogue

Price: $218

Shipping to US: $10

Love love nude leather. Matches everything. This tote is just really simple and has a fun detail on the straps to make it just the right amount of interesting. It's relatively low price makes it a good choice as well.

I hope this is helpful to anyone looking for a classic, long-lasting tote bag! It's certainly not comprehensive, but hopefully this post will push people to find their own dream bag, or to shop more handmade goods!

Store Review - Part II: Stylemint

See my Part I (Shoemint) review here.

Okay, Stylemint.  Pretty good deals.  I bought a cashmere sweater for about $22 and a top for $7.50.  Overall, I'm pretty satisfied.  Decent quality and decent prices.

Here they are:



The sweater is a bit big and not the best shape but for the price it can't be beat.  At $22, it obviously isn't the greatest quality cashmere, but it's still very warm and will certainly be useful in the winter.  It's a classic piece, so I can wear it for years to come. 

The shirt fits pretty well and I like the foiled-sleeve detailing.  It's enough to spazz up a shirt while still keeping it simple. It's not the best quality, but that's okay since it's a t-shirt. Also it was pretty cheap so yaye!

Pretty foiling!

In terms of sizing, Stylemint does this weird size 1, 2, 3, 4 thing.  It's a little irritating because it doesn't follow conventional sizing (why don't they just do S, M, L, XL, etc like normal companies?) so it's not easy to figure out the right size.  I got a 1 for the shirt (it's a little bit too just right so I could've sized up) and a 2 for the sweater (which is a bit big but okay for layering). 

Overall, Stylemint is not a bad place to shop when it's on sale.  But I think most of their clothes are not very unique or good-quality, so while there may be some gems during their big sales, you're better off looking somewhere else that won't charge your card every month once you start buying something.

Store Review - Part I: Shoemint

First store review!

The Lowdown: 

Name: Shoemint, Stylemint
Owned By: Beachmint - a relatively new company founded in 2009 I believe.  Its lines include Intimint, Shoemint, Stylemint, and Jewelmint
Price Range: $/$$ (1.5/5) - Shoes start at around $80, jewelry starts at $30, clothes start at $30, intimates start at $35-$40 ish. 
Quality: * (1/5) Meh. Not worth the full prices (at least for what I bought) and barely even worth the sale prices.  For the shoes, avoid avoid avoid.  You can get MUCH better shoes for the same or lower price.
Overall: Maybe the clothing on sale is worth it... but other than that.... pass.  Especially since once you order, you have to remember to "skip" every month otherwise they'll charge your credit card.

The Full Review Part I:

So I had sort of had my eye on some things from Shoemint since I started subscribing to their emails.  Some of the shoes are pretty stylish and not outrageously expensive, but still expensive enough that I didn't want to make my first purchases at full-price.

I was really happy then, when they had a huge sale.  Boots and heels for $20 bucks? 100% cashmere sweater for less than $30? Yes, I'm down.  So down.

And here's my review (Part II will have pictures and reviews of the clothing): 

The shoes.  Blergh.  I got them each for $20 so I thought they would be good enough for that low low price but nope.  The boots, no matter what way you put it, look ridiculous on me.  Maybe it's because I have thin ankles, or because the toe is too rounded, but they look like... costume cowboy boots.  It's definitely a no-no.  And I was pretty shocked that the quality of leather was so bad.  I've seen better imitations than these "real" leather boots.

Look at how the leather is curling near my right ankle!  Bah, bad quality. 

They are actually still selling these boots so if these pictures make you fall in love.. somehow.. here's the link.  They are $40 now though.. merp.

As for the heels, they were supposed to be silver (they looked silver on the site) but turned out to be this... awkward grey-silver.  It honestly just looked a bit dirty.  And shiny.  So so plasticky shiny. I really liked the shape of them but the color and quality was just... bad.  Nope, it's going back.

Both shoes were terrible quality - they were all "leather" but felt like rubber or plastic.  Disappointing.  Not worth keeping even at $20 each, let me tell you.

So I'm returning all the shoes and keeping the clothes (which I'll review tomorrow).  But, Shoemint charges you $9.95 to restock EVERY SINGLE ITEM you want to return.  It's either that or you get all your money in the form of store credit, which you can actually use across all the Beachmint lines.  I actually had a really awesome customer service rep named Rona that only charged one restocking fee so that was wonderful.  I thought about keeping the credit but I don't think it's really worth it.  I've heard their jewelry is meh, and while I liked their clothing, I'm not positive I can use the store credit for sale items.

So, I'm just going to eat ten bucks to restocking my crappy shoes, and retaliate by writing this review.  I'm also going to delete my account because otherwise they'll be charging my $89.95 a month if I forget to "skip".  Which most people, like me, probably will.

So, my advice is to skip the whole Beachmint series, even though some of their clothes may be worth it.  As a plus, their customer service was very helpful and friendly, but that really doesn't make up for their mediocre shoes and annoying return policies.

Find more reviews about the Beachmint companies here (some were positive!): shoes | jewelry | shoemint | part II of this review

Here we go!

Alright, this is it.  It's taken me a while to get around to start blogging again.  I used to do it over at jsmnchang.blogspot.com, but I kind of got over it.  I got pretty lazy and it was exhausting to think about providing content every day, uploading photos every day, editing the post after writing, etc. etc.  Before, my blog was kind of a haphazard forum to talk whatever random stuff I stumbled upon online.  Over time, laziness and a floppy sense of direction ended that particular blogging journey.

So why am I doing this now?  Well, first and foremost, I've realized that there are lots of things I want to say and share about fashion, shopping, design, art, food, etc., and blogging is still the best way for me to keep track of everything and to interact with other people.  And there are other reasons as well (regarding my projects shoptalk.la and The Yellow Project), which I'm sure I will detail in the coming days and weeks and months.

So "ultra lime" is basically my lifestyle blog I guess, for anyone who cares to listen or is bored enough to browse.  Hopefully you'll find it interesting and funny and useful in some way!