Mansur Gavriel Tote: The Soft Leather Bag That Started a Waiting List

In early June 2013, Mansur Gavriel's debut collection reached stores, and within weeks the blogger Garance Doré was publicly in love with the large black bucket bag lined in a red the brand calls Flamma. By July, both the bucket and the tote had long waiting lists. The tote was there from day one, a top-handle horizontal shape that came out of two years of development. A Mansur Gavriel tote is as old as the brand.

 

The idea was simple and a little stubborn. Rachel Mansur studied textiles at RISD, Floriana Gavriel studied fashion design in Bremen and worked at labels such as Lanvin, and together they took vegetable-tanned leather, a material mostly used in men's accessories, and aimed to make it sharp, cool and elegant. Rachel has said they found the leather at a factory in Italy that was not being used properly in fashion. Then came a contrast lining, so the bag looks quiet outside and gives a little away when you open it.

 

The everyday end of the family comes first. The Everyday Cabas is the slouchy one with long elongated handles, a slip pocket and a magnetic closure, and the page says it fits a 14 inch laptop. I would take the Sabbia Nubuck for a pale camel coat and the Algae Nubuck when I want a dark green that reads almost neutral. Black is the sensible one, and Claret and Anise are for a day when the outfit is plain.

 

The Carryall Tote is the big soft one that rests on your shoulder, and the Juno in black or Jasmine is lambskin, oversized and light. Picture her heading to a weekend away in October with the Juno on her arm, a gray knit and wide trousers underneath. My tip: load any of these with your real day first, laptop, charger, lunch, and see whether the handles still sit on your shoulder.

The family started with a leather idea, so the zip and soft totes are the best place to understand it. Plant tannins react to sunlight and oxygen, which is why vegetable-tanned leather can move from a pale tan to a deep honey or chestnut brown over a year or two of regular use. The brand's own founders describe an exterior that darkened in the sun and developed a patina with use.

 

The Everyday Zip Tote, in Black or Seaweed, keeps the space of the original and adds a zip across the top. That is the one I would send to anyone who commutes by train, because nothing falls out when the car lurches. Seaweed is a murky green that works with navy and olive, and the Black goes with everything in a closet.

 

The Everyday Soft Tote has rounded handles and a wide basket body. I like the Chocolate Suede with cream knitwear and the Ebony/Ebony with a black wool coat. The Black/Flamma is the nod to the first bag, a plain outside and that red inside. The Algae Nubuck is the velvety option for jeans and a boxy jacket. The lean Soft M Tote, in Jasmine or Black, lies flat against the body and suits a slim coat.

 

Test it in the fitting room: look at the handles first, then put the bag on your shoulder over a thick sweater, since October layers change how a strap sits. Open the bag fully and check that the lining sits flat. What I would skip: a suede tote on a day of steady rain, and the pale Jasmine if you carry a pen that leaks.

A small tote still has to carry a day. These are the Cabas shrunk to different sizes, and the question is what actually goes in. The Small Everyday Cabas keeps the slouchy shape, long handles, interior slip pocket and magnetic closure, and the page says it is made to fit your essentials. That means a wallet, phone, keys, a lip balm and a paperback, not a laptop.

 

The Small Everyday Cabas in Black is the one I would choose for office days when the laptop stays at the desk. The Claret version is for fall, with a gray coat and dark denim, and the Algae Nubuck works with camel. The Mini Everyday Cabas is a compact top-handle shape in Italian leather or suede. Black is the easy choice, Anise Suede and Chocolate Suede suit knits and skirts, and Sabbia Nubuck is pale enough to feel like a spring thing, yet still works with a dark coat in October. I also put together Coach Perfume Started in a Leather Loft, and It Still Smells Like Going Out.

 

The Small Everyday Soft Tote in Black/Flamma is calf leather with Bombay handles for a secure carry. It has a relaxed shape with a little more give than the minis, so I would reach for it on a weekend with a sweater and boots. If you want to keep going, Black Leather Bags: Crossbody To Tote is the one I would read next.

 

My buying test: pack the bag in the fitting room with what you really carry, close the magnet, then walk. If the handles dig in or the bag tips over, go up a size. What I would skip: the mini as your only bag if your phone is large. Measure the phone against the opening before you commit.

The bucket is the bag that made the brand famous, and the history is worth a minute. In 2013, Mansur Gavriel stormed onto the fashion circuit with drawstring buckets that brought huge demand, a waiting list and a stream of lookalikes. The bucket was also one of the three most-searched items of 2014, and a restock reportedly sold 95 percent of its stock within an hour.

 

Today the bucket has grown up. The Drawstring Cabas takes the slouchy tote and turns it into a bucket with a suede body, a leather base and a long shoulder strap. It comes in Anise Suede, Black Suede and Algae Suede, and the Baby Blue is a soft pale one for a gray day. The page says it fits a 14 inch laptop, which is a lot of bucket. I would pick the Black Suede for a long train ride and the Algae for a green wool scarf.

 

The Drawstring Pouchette in Black is the mini bucket with rolled top handles, for dinner. The Leather Drawstring Bucket Bag in Crema is calfskin with a tumbling process to reduce scratching and wear. The Secchio Suede Crossbody in Chocolate has knotted ties, and the Woven Raffia and Suede bucket in Ebony is the odd one out, more for a vacation or a warm room than for an October commute.

 

Vogue UK notes that buckets look best when not overstuffed, and I agree. Pull the drawstring snug, and let the bag hang. What I would skip: a crossbody strap worn long with a puffer, because it will rub.

Not every tote has to hang from a hand. The brand's shoulder bags borrow the same soft leather but sit closer to the body, which is a relief when your hands are full of coffee and a coat. The Candy Hobo is a medium soft and slouchy zip-top hobo with a single curved strap. Black is the easy one, Chocolate is warm enough for a camel coat, Sabbia is the pale one, and the Algae Suede is a good textured piece in a green that goes with denim. I went deeper on a related idea in Best Leather Tote Bags.

 

The Mini Candy Bag, in Black or Sabbia, has a graphic silhouette and a compact size, designed to hold just the essentials. It suits someone who has already given up the laptop for the evening. I would wear the Sabbia with a black dress and tights, and the Black over a gray turtleneck.

 

The Gaia Shoulder Bag is the slender baguette that tucks under the arm. In Crema/Ebony it has a soft two-tone look, and the Caramel is the color I would bring out with a chocolate coat. It is for essentials only, so think phone, card, keys.

 

Vegetable-tanned leather changes with sun and use, so the brand says to keep pieces away from direct light and heat, and stuffed to hold their shape. A paper-stuffed hobo on a shelf is a small ritual that pays off.

 

For a fitting test, zip the Candy Hobo and swing it from shoulder to elbow, and see whether the strap slips. What I would skip: the baguette for a heavy commute day, since it asks you to carry less.

I would pick the size first, then the color. If the bag goes to work, the Everyday Cabas in Black or Claret is my answer, with a zip version if I take the train. If it lives on weekends, a Soft Tote or a Juno, and for evenings a Mini Candy or a Gaia.

 

Then I would open the bag and look at the inside, because the whole brand began with an interior that surprised you. Check the lining, the handles, and how the leather feels in your hand, and remember that it will darken and change as you use it.

 

Two women met at a concert in Los Angeles in 2010, moved to New York, and made a bag with a waiting list. I would like my own tote to have that sort of story, which is to say a quiet outside and a small secret in the lining.