Michael Kors Gia E/W Tote Turquoise

After years of buying bags that weighted as much as the items I filled it with I decided to try to not only downsize but find a purse made of a lighter weight material. For me this is it. It is the right size, has many safe pockets and doesn't weigh much. I always thought of Baggallini as the travel purse go to but this will be my every day purse. I definitely will be buying this in other colors.

this purse is great! just what i was looking for and at a great price. its soft but not floppyand has nice shape, the color is as pictured and its just the right size for everyday use. the pockets are great, both decorative and functional. very happy with my purchase and arrived very fast!

First of all there appears to be more than one seller that sells this identical purse.  I purchased one from  another seller because I loved the wallet I bought from them and posted a glowing review.  When the purse came, it was a disaster.  I returned it and bought this one instead and am so glad I did!

When it arrived it was in a see-through plastic bag that zips up.  The kind you see when you purchase bedspreads, electric blankets or bedding.  The purse looked great.  When I unzipped it from the carrier I noticed it had a plastic-like smell which I attributed to it being encased in the bag.  After about an hour the smell went away and the purse actually smelled like leather.

The purse itself even came with the sellers name on a card, which was attached with a string, along with another card with directions on how to take care of the purse.  Also inside the purse was another card thanking me for purchasing their product.  Almost as if I purchased it at a department store, and not from Amazon.  Not to say that other sellers don’t do this, but I guess I was pleasantly surprised after my last experience with purchasing this bag.

The leather itself.  It actually responds like leather.  There is an obvious texture to it and when you fold it, the texture crinkles up like leather would.  Pressing hard on it will have the same effect.  That is how leather is supposed to respond.  And it truly feels, smells and looks like leather.  The inside of the purse is lined with a satiny type of fabric that looks like it will hold up well and is very silky to the touch.

On the inside, there is a small flap sewn nicely to one of the back pockets with the sellers name embossed on it.  However the flap that is dangling from a chain on one of the purse handles is blank.  I have no idea why the seller would not bother to stamp their name on that piece of leather.  I really don’t mind because I think the tag is tacky and removed it anyway (i do that to all my bags with that tag).

All in all this is a gorgeous purse.  I do need to make a small adjustment.  I prefer to use the purse handles instead of the  shoulder straps.  I am only 5 feet tall and the purse handle only came with 2 holes for adjustment.  But that is going to be easier for me to fix and will not be an issue because I have a device that can easily make extra holes for me without ruining the quality of the purse and will be the same size.

A beautiful purse with a beautiful color, texture, and light sheen.  

Updated review 7/2017
So, the bag was a really good bag. I really liked. However, around May 2017, one of the the little buckles fell off, causing the strap to break. I managed to get the strap reattached by stitching it directly to the bag. Unfortunately, that didn't help. Mostly because another one of the little buckles fell off. Most of the time the items I carried were my wallet, iPad, Nook, personal planner, and small pen pouch. I have a water bottle, but decided to carry it in my hand because it is a larger bottle. The other items were not particularly heavy. But I guess the weight of these small items together was too heavy for the tote. I'm now giving this three stars instead of five because the inner zippered section was awesome and the style of the bag was just what I like. The stitching of the handles and how they are placed on the tote needs a lot of work. My original review stated I may purchase again in the future. I'm not so sure this time. Although the price is currently half of what I originally paid, a tote bag should last a lot longer than nine months before having to be replaced.

Original review
I really like this bag. I was a little concerned when I read some of the reviews stating that there was a strong odor coming from the bag (I'm sensitive to certain scents) and that the bag had a permanent crease in it from the way it was packaged. However I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box!

The tote bag was packaged inside a box that held a large bag with the company name. The first thing I noticed was that the odor was very faint; nothing that sitting in front of an open window for a few hours couldn't handle. The next thing I noticed, no permanent fold mark! Although the bag was flat in the box, I think because there was some extra paper in the box for support.

The bag is a very nice size. I tested to see if it could hold up to the abuse of a teacher carrying tons of school stuff. So far it can hold a personal size planner, an iPad, a pen pouch filled with pens, a Nook tablet, and a water bottle...with room to spare! I can put a light sweater/jacket or light scarf in there as well when the weather gets cooler.

I like the feel of the bag. I was concerned that it was going to be on the flimsy side. However, it isn't. It's well made and it looks great. I will admit that it is just a tiny bit "glossy" from the wax used on it. But I know that will fade over time and this bag will continue to look great.

I'm very happy with this purchase and may buy one again in the future if ever there is a need to replace the tote bag.

bigger than I imagined but have had no problem in filling it with all my bits and bobs. Very smart.