You're the greatest. Super helpful and you ask such good questions.

I'm going to take Angie's advice and walk around the house with it. I still have mixed feelings. The truth is, I'm a satchel (with shoulder strap) girl with a tote sized life.

On the other hand, this bag recalls that long-ago unstructured bag of my youth. Can I rekindle the flame?

It is easy for me to carry. I hear what Diana and others are saying about shoulder drop but it's actually comfortable for me, so I'm okay with that.

Rachylou's question is a great one, though -- how is it getting the laptop in and out. Alas, those side zips are nonfunctional (so weird, but whatever) and so it has to go in through the somewhat narrow top. I put in vertically and then shift to horlzontal. It's not such a big deal, but how will it feel looking for my other stuff in there with the laptop in the way? That is the question. I think Tex makes a great point that the lack of structure could lead to wear over time.

Ultimately, Rachy hit the nail on the head again. "I get so mad at bags." Yeah, me too!! They have to be perfect and they so rarely are!! I'm not sure this one is, so wearing it around the house and pretending I'm out and about doing stuff with it is probably key. So often I've bought a bag and thought I would love it only to be furious with it within 3 hours of our new relationship.

ETA in answer to Sylvie and in case anyone else is thinking of the bag -- one of its charms is that for leather it is relatively light. Perhaps that is due to the lack of structure? It's a bit heavier than the nylon Le Pliage, of course -- but the difference isn't as big as I expected. My Danier tote is a lot heavier.

Way better unstuffed! And I still don't think I've seen another this attractive (love the RM design doodads in general, really love these zips).

I love it Suz. Unstuffed you can see how it slouches perfectly. If it's making your heart sing I say keep it. Great colour x

I love it. KEEP!

I have a navy tote that's exactly like this (same shape with those useless side zips too). It's *never* easy to find something quickly when your bag is full, especially when your is large and full of stuff. I use a pouch large enough to fit my wallet, phone and keys inside if it's too full of random stuff, or just slip my bag organizer inside.

Just chimed in to tempt you into trying the Le Pliage leather tote (on sale at NAS, too). I carry the same items as you and more, and have found Le Pliage to be the lightest and most versatile of my options. Unlike the nylon version, it's lined and contains a zip pocket on one side and an open side pocket on the other. It's been such a wonderful workhorse over the past year and has held up much, much better than any other purse or bag. And it doesn't look too big in the least.

Gradfashionista, thank you. That's a good point. I think Diana also has it. Or was going to get it. I might take another look at it.

Maneera, Deborah, Cerinda --- thank you!!

It's such a pretty color. I'm torn about the size because I've had neck/should/back problems and any large bag makes me cringe in anticipation of causing further aches and pains...so that's my bias. If you love it and it helps you tote around all your essentials, keep it. It coordinates well with your wardrobe.

I love it too Suz, but do have to second the benefits of the leather Le Pliage noted by grandfashionista. Any Pliage really is a great option, as long as you get one with longer handles. I hauled my new leather NAS one around on a business trip last week and had no back or shoulder issues.

I wish the leather Le Pliage had come in a colour that interested me. I don't want the bright blue since I have a bright blue bag and I don't want black because, well, black.

I'm really having doubts, not about the quality of this bag or even the size. It's beautiful and it fits my stuff. But I fear it's just too unstructured for me.

I also fear going yet another year without a bag that I love. I find it very frustrating. Last year was the best year so far because I could alternate the nylon Le Pliage and my backpack. But neither looked particularly good with my puffer coat and both were a little casual for me. Yet I've been searching for a bag to love for at least 4 years. Hmmm.

I still think it's gorgeous, and I like it much, much better for you, filled with your things. Big difference, to my eye. It looks quite similar to your backpack in size and shape, in these photos--which is to say, not out of place at all.

Now that I've highly endorsed the RM bag, I will say I really love this vegan tote I bought a couple of months ago. It is reversible! I carry it nude-side-out or taupe-side-out, and like it both ways. It's easy to carry a laptop and other stuff in, it's lightweight, and so soft. No zip top, so maybe not as secure as you'd like; it has a magnetic snap. I got mine at a local store, but Nordstrom is carrying something that looks very similar--though not in the beautiful color of the Rebecca Minkoff bag.

eta: look what I found at the website for the store where I bought my tote--it comes in claret/gray.

And the price is certainly right, too, Sharan!! Maybe that is the way to go for now until I find a bag to love more seriously. Very good suggestion.

I have the black/cognac bag Sharon linked above. For a cheap bag, it is really good quality. I used it for work. It holds lunch, water bottle, books and more. I do like it.

But the RM bag is so pretty.

I love the bag - the color is just fantastic. I had a similar bag once that I really liked. I think it looks great on you, but you have to feel comfortable using it too. How much organization is missing for it to be perfect? I guess with a certain size it's always at least a tad difficult to find things if you don't carry a highly compartmentalised backpack or bag. Finding one of those is difficult in any case, if you want it to fit exactly what you want to carry. I personally like my bags to be more flexible when it comes to load.

I too love/need a big bag so hearing you! Think it is sleek enough to work fine for you. The colour is so Suz! I do love your 2 colour block tote.... I would love one like that...

Kikki K the swedish stationary store had this amazing Stockholm style bag... it fitted everything, over your shoulder, distributed weight perfectly etc etc... and they no longer make the style (crying)... I think we need to petition them to bring it back... and in lovely colours.

Suz is it possible for you to wear that new bag out and about just once without taking the tags off? (In other words can you hide them inside or something) ? If you could take it on a "trial run" maybe to a coffee shop where you pull out the laptop and use it, look for a lipstick....that might give you a better sense of how it's going to function.

This discussion reminds me of my common fallback thought......"if I'm trying too hard to talk myself into it then it's not right". The higher the price and longer the expected lifespan the more important it is.

Good rule for fashion items, and lots of other parts of life too!

I'd feel awkward taking it out of the house, Chris, but I can certainly pretend I'm at the library or coffee shop at home! I'll do exactly what you describe.

I have a feeling that it is probably not the right bag for me, but it's worth trying out right here.

Thanks for help, everyone, and Jen, I'm crying at the loss of that KikiD marvel you describe!

I've read a few of the other comments but not all, so please forgive me if I repeat something someone else said.
Hmmm.....I'm not sure about this one (I'm more of a satchel / tote gal myself). I bought a big bag like this several years back and then never used it except when going on vacation because I felt ridiculous caring around such a large bag with very little in it. Anyways...

• Do you have enough to put in it without you and your belongings feeling lost?
• Whether it's filled with a little or filled with a lot, does it stay on your shoulder or slip off (this is my biggest problem with shoulder strap purses!)?
• What are the uses for this bag: work/casual/traveling, and would it get enough use if it fit in just one of those categories? Does that matter?
• Will you reach for it more than the color block tote or Zara backpack? It is a totally different style of bag than those.

Also, sometimes I try to figure out how much use I will get out of something and sometimes I just throw caution to the wind and buy it anyway because I love it (such as the Boston BCBG blazer). Is this one of those purchases for you? If so, keep it and you'll get a lot of use out of it no matter what. If not, then deciding whether or not it will become an orphan is a tricky process...

What a huge difference! Now, without all the stuffing width, the bag stays closer to your body, and the weight of your own items pulls down from the handles, creating a much more manageable shape. I hope you'll keep this gorgeous bag.