In the fashion world, specialists talk plenty about the IT bag of the year or the number/models of must-have bags and purses a woman should have. If you are, however, one of those ladies who has a very soft spot for canvas/cotton tote bags and wears one for each occasion, this article is for you. We will not tell you how many tote bags to own (of the same model), but we will show you the six essential types of tote bags any modern woman should have, wear, and love!
1. The Almighty Canvas Shopping Tote Bag
Most women have at least three or four of these, as you need to use them with care – as we already mentioned in our complete guide on how to clean a canvas bag. Canvas shopping tote bags make an excellent eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags we use for grocery shopping and a more stylish choice than plastic or paper bags.
We suggest you begin your quest for the perfect canvas shopping bag with a heavy canvas tote bag with full gusset. Its size is perfect to carry small daily items or help you check your grocery list in one go. Take advantage of the side and bottom gussets for more space and durability and the handles making the bag easy to carry.
As you can quickly figure out, not all canvas shopping tote bags are the same, but you will find your favored one in no time. Make sure you do not carry meats and dairy products in the same one you bring home vegetables and bread for instance. We also recommend to properly pack all your groceries before you put them in the bag, to preserve its hygiene and your health.
2. The Cross Body Small Tote
Sometimes you do not need a huge bag to carry everything you have when you intend to be out only for a few hours. All women have days when they need a small cross-body canvas tote bag to grab and enjoy the freedom and style it offers.
Cross-body small totes are perfect for travels, leisure walks, casual outings, brunch dates with your girls, and more. When you want to carry only a phone, a wallet, and the sunglasses case, you cannot go wrong with small messenger canvas tote.
It works brilliantly when you are on vacation as well – pack it in the luggage and use it as a tourist purse when you explore a new city for instance. It can carry a bottle of water, your papers, phone, a snack, and more. It fits inside your airplane bag, and you can use it as a versatile accessory for all your short-term daily activities.
3. The Black Everyday Tote for All Purposes
A leather large office tote bag is a good acquisition for any woman, given the purse’s versatility. However, if you play in team “Eco-Friendliness,” you should go for the black heavy canvas zipper tote bag with long handles. This alternative to the classic shoulder bag or office bag will please even the most sophisticated of wearers.
As we know, the large black bag is and will be an IT and must-have item for women of all ages and all tastes. You can take it to the office, to school, and on more formal day outings, confident it will match any outfit and personal style.
Pick one of significant size, to carry your papers, personal items, gadgets, wallet, phone, and more. With stress-points reinforcements and durable fabric, the bag will last for years and carry few or many things, depending on your needs.
If a pitch-black bag does not fit your unique personality and you want to give it some buzz, you can always customize it with a logo, a monogram, a stylish print, and so on.
4. The Posh Jute Business Tote for Professional Looks
Jute is the fabric du jour when it comes to wearing eco-friendly fabrics and support ethical fashion principles. One of the most popular types of tote bags of the present, the natural jute bag features a sweet pink/cream nuance that goes amazingly well with your nude shoes – another trend that is here to stay and make women’s lives more comfortable and more elegant.
We suggest you start with a large and heavy jute/cotton fashion bag for formal office days and professional meetings. Even if you are not the type of woman matching her shoes with her purse, you will still be able to wear the jute bag with any outfit and in any color scheme.
Before you start creating a collection of jute tote bags for different needs and purposes, we recommend you read our complete guide on jute maintenance, to see how to preserve your fashionable items for years.
5. The Informal Multifunctional Purse for Any Occasion
You should not mistake this one for the universally loved black shoulder bag. A multifunctional purse for any occasion is a day bag that fits any purpose you can give it, with the added benefit of being informal in style, but multifunctional in purpose.
You can take a jolly two-tone heavy canvas zippered bag to work, to shopping, while going out for brunch with your girls, for a casual-chic outing, and more. Among all types of tote bags, this one offers you the reliability of heavy canvas and solid zippers, a casual-bohemian look, all the interior/exterior compartments you need for safe storage, and more.
If you want more inspiration regarding how to match tote bags with any outfit and for any occasion, check out our guides on how to wear tote bags and look chic and how to wear summer tote bags, respectively.
6. The Ultimate Beach Bag
Any woman should own at least a beach bag that is large, with zipper for more protection, and fun to wear at the seaside or the pool. We recommend the tri-color poly tote bag, as it is resilient to wear and tear, waterproof, sand-proof, and so chic, you will want one in every color combination for casual outings as well.
Conclusion
Women have many reasons to wear canvas tote bags for all occasions. Among the types of tote bags above, which are your favorite? Do you have at least one or two models of each or are you just expanding your collection as we speak? If you think about other types of tote bags, you think any woman should have, use our comments section for recommendations and ideas!