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Updated: Aug 9, 2021 94 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Structured Faux Leather Tote

Coffee Break |

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When I was doing our recent roundup of the best work totes for women, this tote caught my eye — I love the intriguing, almost architectural structure of the bag. How cool!

The brand, Street Level, is of course well known for its hugely popular $50 tote (with PETA-approved, vegan-friendly materials).

The pictured bag is $51 — a great price point if you're looking for something unusual but affordable.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Some of the best work bags for women as of 2024 include great totes from Cuyana (with a zipper), Tumi, Tory Burch (lightweight, a laptop tote), Lo & Sons, and Madewell (north/south). Also try this highly-rated organizing insert or these clever pouches with some of the less structured bags! If you're looking for a budget tote (or one in a specific color) check this Amazon seller (22K+ good reviews) or this Amazon seller (60K+ good reviews).

black tote bag
Cuyana
a great interview bag for females (and great work bag in general): the Tory Burch Ella
Tory Burch
black leather tote bag
Tory Burch
black laptop tote
Lo & Sons
black laptop tote
Tumi
one of the best work totes for women in the north/south shape: the Transport tote from Madewell
Madewell

(Looking for a luxury work bag? Here's our latest roundup…)

Sales of note for 9.30.24

Sales of note for 9.30.24

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

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Comments

  1. Horse Crazy

    Has anyone else experienced what my dentist is calling “orthodontic relapse”? Basically, I got my braces taken off in 2010, wore retainers for about 5 years, stopped during college for dumb college reasons, and haven’t worn them since. My teeth look pretty much fine, but the retainers don’t fit anymore, so they’ve obviously shifted. My dentist is suggesting I go back to the orthodontist for a consultation. Has anyone else gone through this, and if so, what was your outcome?

    • Cornellian

      I would find out more what your dentist thinks the problem is. If they’re aesthetically okay for you, it would be good to find out whether (s)he’s worried that the way some teeth strike together will wear them down or what. I would keep in mind that most insurance plans allow for only one series of orthodontics in your life, and it’s not great coverage, so I would use it wisely.

    • Anon

      I think this is pretty normal if you don’t wear retainers? I have a bar behind my bottom teeth, so those have pretty much stayed in place, but my top teeth had started to shift a bit by my late twenties (visible to me, but not really noticeable to anyone else). At that point I was also clenching/grinding enough to need a nightguard and that’s stopped the shifting on top, but I would definitely have gotten a new retainer if I hadn’t done that.

    • Anon

      Yeah, I stopped wearing my retainers and my teeth shifted a little. To be honest I don’t really want to wear retainers forever and my teeth look nice, so I don’t see a problem. My sister in law got braces again as an adult for the same reason. She wanted her teeth to be a bit straighter, though.

    • anon

      Chiming in to say that this has happened to me and I’m extremely unhappy about it, aesthetically. Any advice would be appreciated.

    • Anone

      Yes, I had pretty much the same problem. Had braces and retainer in HS, stopped wearing the retainer in college. My teeth shifted to the point where, as a 32-year-old adult, I noticed that the two top front teeth were turning in toward each other. One orthodontist tried to sell me on Invisalign, but the second ortho I saw told me the problem could be resolved with a new retainer. He was right – it worked (and I saved lots of $$; it was around $800-$1000 as opposed to $3000 for Invisalign). That was 14 years ago, and I have had to repair the retainer a couple of times but it was not expensive . I still wear the retainer almost every night when I go to bed.

    • Anon

      yes! my teeth shifted. first orthodontist i went to told me to get invisalign. second orthodontist i went to said retainers would do the trick. i still had my old retainers and they were able to adjust the bottom retainer, but i had to get a new top retainer. it was not that expensive. so definitely dont trust the opinion of the first orthodontist you see

    • Anon

      Yes. I had braces twice.

      Mine even shifted when I had a permanent retainer installed behind my bottom teeth.

      In total I have a top tooth that rotated back to the way it originally grew in (a lateral incisor that is slightly sideways), a small part between my top two incisors, and a lower lateral incisor that is slightly in front of its neighboring cuspid.

      The second time I had braces it was to fix the rotated lateral incisor, which had been fixed in the first round but then rotated back. Then after the second round it rotated right back, and I was wearing my retainer most nights. It just got harder and harder to put in.

      I felt like, ok so I can fix it a third time and it’s going to rotate right back. It’s not super ugly, only a dentist would really notice, and it’s not affecting my bite. Let’s just let it be how it clearly wants to be.

  2. Anon

    while i completely agree Cuomo should be resigning. It seems like a complete double standard between democrats and republicans. What about all the people who report issues with our former president, supreme court justice etc. i guess that’s politics? It just seems ridiculous to me that only some people have to resign.

    • BBB

      I think the difference is whether it happened while the person was in office. As far as I know, there were zero allegations against either of your examples while they were in office, whereas Cuomo’s were in office and using his power. That said, it just all comes down to whether the person is willing to resign . . . . Nobody is really “made” to resign.

      • No Face

        Politicians are “made” to resign when their own party stands up to them. Nixon resigned because Republicans in the Senate weren’t going to support him in the impeachment trial. Cuomo resigned because the NY Democrats don’t support him. The current GOP turned “never back down” from staying strong about your political beliefs to blindly supporting whatever awful person happens to be in office, no matter what.

      • Anon

        I agree but as someone on the left side of things, we need to do the right thing on our side regardless of what the other side does.

        • Senior Attorney

          Yes. And I’m watching Cuomo’s speech right now and all I can say is… ugh times a million. His justifications are SO GROSS.

          • anon

            He’s disgusting. And talk about thinly veiled contempt toward women. Par for the course for men in politics, unfortunately.

    • Anon

      Kavanaugh never met Blasey Ford. Why should he have to resign over something that happened to a stranger that was obviously caused by someone else?

      • Anon

        Even he doesn’t deny that he might have met her. Come on. What a desperate position.

        • Anonymous

          And an intellectually dishonest one. It’s gross and shouldn’t be allowed here.

    • Anonymous

      Virginia’s governor and lt governor are still there. Both Democrats. Both should be gone, but that would leave an R in the line of succession and we can’t have that.

      And I do think that Joe Biden has at least some handsy issues, if not worse, so sometimes we do get told to hold our noses.

      Political power > doing the right thing.

      • Anon

        I assume you’re a Trumper pushing this narrative which is just so ironic I can’t.

  3. Diana Barry

    Ladies – what should I do with all of my work clothes? I have a TON of work dresses and suits and am not going to use a lot of them going forward – I am an equity partner and will be primarily WFH, not using my office, etc. Should I try to donate them to dress for success? Or just the regular donation people who pick stuff up? I do not have the bandwidth to list them on poshmark etc.

    Also, relatedly, how much of this stuff should I keep? I would guess I would go in to the office about 2x/month max in the future.

    • Cornellian

      I’d go for dress for success, especially if you’re an average or above size. I volunteered with them in college and they got LOTS of size 00-8 stuff, and not much else so were always in desperate need.

      I would keep two-three classic full suits and then like five other outfits, with a preference for the more classic cuts. For me, at least, some of my blouses, silk shells, etc I might wear in a non-work environment, so they’d still get use.

      • pugsnbourbon

        If you don’t have a local dress for success, you could try a local college/university. We have a “closet” for students who need to build a work wardrobe.
        Additionally, there are DV shelters that take donations for work clothes.

        • Vicky Austin

          I used to work for my university’s Success Closet; we would have loved to get a big batch of donations like this. Or, if you know any college students personally, let them have their pick before donating? An older friend did that for me and I still wear some of the pieces I culled from her collection.

  4. Going low contact

    Has not being able to see people in person changed or made you re-evaluate your relationship with anyone? Two years ago in the summer of 2019 I moved across the country because I was accepted into a PhD program at the university there. Not even 6 months later the pandemic hit and here we are.

    The reason for the move was that I was 35 and realized I wanted more. I hated my job and I realized I had no friends or connections outside of people my parents knew/their families. I moved over 2000 miles away and am pursuing something I’m actually passionate about. By my 40th birthday I’ll have my PhD and I’ll be able to start saving for a home.

    My only family are my parents and sister. I feel bad for saying this but I am happier being away from them. My dad isn’t so bad but my mother is a nightmare and being away has made me realize that. She is addicted to cosmetic surgery and always pushed me to get it. To her it’s a sin that I don’t dye my hair now that grays have started to pop up. Or that besides putting on sunscreen and washing my face twice a day I don’t do anything else with skincare and I don’t wear makeup or get botox or facelifts. By the time my mother was my age (37) she had aleady had two. I don’t care if anyone has surgery or dyes their hair or wears makeup but it is not for me. My sister is only 33 but she has already headed down the same road as my mother. I don’t mean a little bit of work but multiple surgeries to the point of doctor shopping when the first three doctors say no.

    I’m struggling with the feelings I’m having about being happier not seeing or talking to my mother and sister. My move and the pandemic showed me how much better I feel without them. I don’t know why I feel so bad about this. I’m thinking of going to therapy. (Sorry for the novel, thanks for reading).

    • Senior Attorney

      It sounds like a little therapy might not be the worst thing. You know that it’s totally appropriate for you to feel better away from your dysfunctional family, but a therapist could help you let go of the guilt about it.

    • PolyB

      I feel like I have a better (good, but not great) relationship with my mother because we live far apart (too far to drive, but an easy flight). It’s okay to not love things about your relatives, and if less contact means the contact you do have is more enjoyable, I’d call that a win.

    • Anon

      We have so much in common that I am shocked and loving this! Let’s connect? iamanepicwarrior at the mail of g.

    • Yup

      OMG samesies! I am doing a PhD as well (2nd one, they‘re like potato chips, LOL, watch out!) but had not been doing well. Lockdown and the pandemic made me realize how toxic my family is. Therapy is helping a lot but man is it painful! Commiseration, you are a hero!! Keep rocking that wisdom halo (#grayhairdon‘tcare) and stay true to your beautiful self!!

    • Anon

      As you’re thinking of therapy, maybe look into providers who offer insight-oriented, psychodynamic, or maybe even family systems therapy. It kind of sounds like you’re doing really well and are looking more to process these feelings and move forward. Therapy can be great for this.

    • Wow

      You really don’t have a skincare routine beyond washing your face? I mean not wearing makeup ever and putting on sunscreen daily will help but not having a routine beyond washing your face will not help in the looks and aging department. You’re almost 40 so the signs are definitely showing by now. You might want a rethink. You don’t need a facelift or Botox but there is much more that you could be doing. Wow.

      • Anone

        You’re either trolling or being completely ridiculous. I’m almost 46 and have always been told that I look 8-10 years younger than my age. A couple months ago, I had some filler and botox around my eyes to combat eye bags. This was the first time I’ve had injections, and literally no other work on my face. So, speak for yourself and back off.

    • Another anon

      I have lived closer to and farther away from my family at different times since graduating from college. I am genuinely sorry that I don’t see them more, but my relationship with them is easier from a little further away.

    • BeenThatGuy

      I’m glad you’re considering therapy because I think it will help you work through these feelings. I love my parents but I do not like them nor do I enjoy being around them. Once I let go of the guilt I felt for feeling this way, my life became so much better.

    • Anon

      Yes you need therapy! You dumped a lot here and people can type words back to you but you need more than that. You need someone to truly work through the issues here because you’re obviously fairly angry about your mom and your sister and what they’re doing with their own lives.

      • Anon

        I read it as she’s angry that her mom and her sister keep projecting their issues onto her, and pressuring her to do things she’s not comfortable doing or doesn’t see the need for. The OP is not the problem in this dynamic. Interesting that it apparently hit a nerve with you, though.

        • Anon

          No, read again about her sister. Doesn’t sound like her sister pushed anything on her, but she’s angry about her sister’s choices.

          Whether she’s angry they’re pushing stuff on her or angry about their private choices, it really doesn’t matter. Therapy is there to get out the anger and move on. Being angry regardless of the reason is a tough way to live your life.

          • Anonymous

            My sister pressures me the same as my mother. Last Christmas her gift to me was a homemade coupon (ie she’ll pay) for a nose job or chin implant. My name (not Sloane) also rhymes with crone so she nicknamed me (ie Sloane the crone)

    • No Face

      Therapy can be great. Therapy helped me understand the pain underlying a relationship with one of my parents. I went low contact for years, and now I am blissfully no contact. I don’t have any anger toward that parent anymore, and that’s a great place to be.

      My husband and I each have Issues with at least one parent, and our best friends (a married couple) also have Issues with their parents. It is really great to have people to discuss this stuff with outside of therapy too. Do any of your close friends have a messed up parent relationship?

    • anon

      This internet stranger gives you full permission to feel at peace about being happier being away from your mother and sister. I’m a firm believer that people have to earn relationships, even if they are family. Just because you are related, doesn’t mean you have to want to see them all of the time.

      Therapy may help you sort out your feelings, but for me it just took time and space to realize I didn’t have to put stock in everything my dad says.

  5. Anonymous

    I’ve recently realized most of my music is from the 10 years after college, 2000-2010 or so. What were your favorite albums of the last 10 years, and where do you find new music now (other than spinning class or TikTok)?

    • anon

      Spotify creates personalized playlists based on your listening habits. If there’s one song I’m particularly into, I like to select “go to radio” to discover similar stuff.

    • buffybot

      I clearly have a “type” (basic! I know it!) but have really enjoyed Maggie Rogers, Lorde, and HAIM. And yes, Olivia Rodrigo. I find music on Spotify, mostly — both organized playlists and the autogenerated playlists that occur when you play a song you like and it builds from there.

    • Anonymous

      Youtube’s algorithm gets me, or something, and I find random songs I like on there (looking at you, The Dead South). I like Janelle Monae (specific songs, not a specific album), Beyonce’s Lemonade (I just barely listened to the album all the way through and I am so sad to have missed out on the last 5 years of listening to Daddy Lessons). I also listen to Pandora still and get random “artists like this” whose songs I enjoy.

  6. Anon

    I love the design of this bag. It does absolutely look like it’s only $51, though. Would love to see something similar in real leather.

  7. Anon

    I’ve always gotten such fabulous travel recommendations from you ladies, so I’m hoping for some more. I’m planning a trip to Vegas for the first time. I’m staying at the Venetian – any recommendations for restaurants to try at the Venetian? Also, I’m going to see Mystere so I’m looking for a non-cirque du soleil recommendation for another show. I was thinking Penn and Teller at the Rio. Any thoughts on that show? Any recommendations for a nice dinner around that area for a pre-show dinner? TIA!

    • Anonymous

      Absolutely, Penn & Teller. They are fantastic! I have seen their live show many times and it is wonderful. (They periodically add new material and change it up. I haven’t seen it in a bit, but I understand they created some new material during the recent hiatus). I don’t know a good restaurant to recommend, though.

      And if you have time during the day, the Mac King Comedy Magic Show at the Excalibur (he just moved from Harrah’s) is a work of art. He is brilliant and absolutely charming, and the show is *chef’s kiss*.

      Have a wonderful time. :)

    • Anon

      Not at the Venetian, but highly recommend Rao’s, which is in Caesars. Food is as good as the NYC spot, from what I’m told, and it’s much easier to get into Vegas. We loved our dinner there a few years ago.

      • Anon

        Is that the Rao’s that the bottled pasta sauce comes from? It’s the only bottled sauce I’ve ever really liked.

  8. Time off ideas?

    I have 2 weeks free between jobs at the end of the month, in Chicago. I’ve already booked a reiki and massage session, tickets for immersive van gogh. Any other ideas for using my time off? Open to most things touristy, trying new restaurants, prefer theater performances to music shows. Will be spending these 2 week solo as well.

    I tend to get stuck to the couch if I don’t have a vague plan for the day, and I don’t want to waste this time bumming around the house watching the days pass. Trying to finish a house declutter and clean up this upcoming weekend so Im not doing too many ‘chores’.

    • nuqotw

      You probably know the city way better than I do but I would go to the museum of science and industry if they are open. I went many years ago on a gloriously solo vacation and had a great time.

    • ANon

      i’m assuming you’ve done the architectural boat tour. i just saw something about sailing in chicago. the last time i was in chicago in the summer i went to a beach, which was great, so what about bringing a good book to the beach for a couple of hours?

      • Time off OP

        Oh, I actually haven’t done a boat tour! I’ll look into those. I think we did a night time trolley tour back in college, but not a boat tour. Hmm… a beach picnic does sound nice too

      • Anon

        Similar to the boat tour, I have a family member that does the Free Tours on Foot. I’ve done several and they’re great! Lots of fun themed ones that give you good insights into the city.

    • anon

      Not a resident of Chicago, so these ideas are pretty general solo-vacation ideas.
      – Trapeze school.
      – Check out a smaller museum you may not have been to. There’s probably a day that’s free for residents.
      – Pick a neighborhood and visit a local coffee shop, bookstore, park, boutique, park, cafe, etc.
      – Choose an elaborate recipe, cook all day, eat.
      – Get out of the city for a hike.

    • Anon

      Definitely recommend the architectural boat tour, as a resident I do them annually and prefer the sunset/dusk ones. I would check out the various parks: Lincoln Park, Humboldt Park (rent a swan paddle boat!), Jackson Park, Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, Lurie Gardens. Take a picnic and a book. Walk on the 606 trail, lake front trail, and river walk. The Steppenwolf is a local theatre, I’m not sure what they’re doing currently. There’s often free concerts in Millenium Park, search for “Grant Park Music Festival”. Other than that, lots of museums to check out, Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, Field, Museum of Science and Industry, Museum of Contemporary Art.

      • Anon

        Also, check out walking tours of different areas. There’s self-guided ones and group ones with a tour guide. There are lots of cool neighborhoods to check out. Personally I’d recommend a walking tour of Kenwood, which is where the Obamas lived when he worked at University of Chicago. Also the University of Chicago campus itself is stunning.

    • Anonymous

      Chicago Magic Lounge just re-opened. Yes, I have a theme today. They get some great performers.

    • Curious

      I would go to the beaches! Go walk on the paths at Montrose Beach, be amazed at how little is left of North Beach, trace the harbor north of Lincoln Park. It’s so nice to get to be near the lake on a weekday when it’s not a total zoo.

    • Anonymous

      Kayaking on the river is fun, but definitely the architecture boat tour! Perhaps trying all the smaller museums around town, go on self-created walking tours, check out the old town school of folk music.

  9. Deedee

    If you have an SO, how do you handle the technical side of shared finances?

    I do the vast majority of HH budgeting (married & we have a “one pot” philosophy). However as our number of credit cards, retirement accts, insurance policies, etc expand over the years, I’m not sure I’ve maximized our system. I maintain a budget spreadsheet, pay all bills, and we regularly discuss discretionary expenditures. (I also carefully meal plan/monitor grocery spend and have a small hobby of churning points for reward travel so perhaps things are slightly more complicated than usual.)

    We each have our own separate password managers–does anyone have a shared PW manager to help the family CFO keep things organized? Just curious about how others handle financial logistics.

    • Anonymous

      My husband handles the day-to-day stuff (paying the credit card bills and rent, handling credit card points, etc.) and I handle our investments. We are totally combined in one pot and we don’t meal plan or budget specifically – it works better for us to “live within our values” and “spend on priorities.” We’re naturally fairly frugal and are on the same page about acceptable levels for splurges so we rarely have to discuss any big purchases. If we’re buying something big, it’s because it fits into our lives and fulfills a need.

      • Marshmallow

        Yes, we use this. It’s great. And we are members at the Financial Gym, which forces us to sit down quarterly and evaluate everything.

    • Anon

      My husband uses my PW manager because I didn’t see the point in paying for a second one.

    • anon

      DH and I are also married and have a “one pot” philosophy for our income and expenses. (We each have some investment accounts that are separate property, but we don’t spend from them.) I handle most of the regular stuff–budgeting, credit cards, bill pay, submitting taxes to our accountant. DH cooks, and I do the main weekly grocery shopping trip, so we meal plan together.

      About once a year, DH and I sit down and discuss big-picture stuff like where our money is, financial goals, budget adjustments, investment balance, etc. He’s also taken on responsibility for financial projects, like being the point person on refinancing our house and rental property. As we go along, we can have a quick conversation like, “Hun, we did takeout 3 times last week when we were all sick. We need to make sure we eat at home for a while.”

      We have a family account on Last Pass, so we both have access to shared passwords. I also keep our budget on a Google spreadsheet that’s shared with him (there’s no financial info on it).

    • Anon

      We have pooled money and my husband pays all the bills because he enjoys keeping everything organized. However, I am the financial decision maker as that is my field of expertise.

      I have one account that is not joint that I put some of my past bonuses into. It will be used for both of us and is clearly community property but the account itself (not the funds in it) predates the husband and I never put his name on it. That’s the account I take a little more investment risk on, basically my chance to dabble in the stock market. Thanks to Apple and Amazon it has done better than any of our 401ks.

    • Anon

      My husband can’t pay attention long enough to remember the four-digit passcode to our safe, refuses to use a cellphone, has no idea where our HYSAs are, and needs to be reminded of the credit union account number every time he goes there. I handle everything financial. If I drop dead he’s screwed, but he continues to act like a helpless manbaby every time I attempt to educate him, so I gave up.

        • Anon

          Not the person you are responding to but I have a similar role in my marriage. The reality is my husband doesn’t care to learn this stuff because he knows I have it covered. I also don’t care to learn things he handles because I know he has it covered. One of the perks of marriage is division of labor. I’m happy to handle day to day finances and he’s happy to handle things like our family calendar/schedule, signing kids up for activities and getting appropriate gear/supplies and ensuring we have babysitters for nights out. Honestly I feel like I got the better end of the bargain, but, sure, I should divorce my husband because he needs an if I die guide to our finances. And he should probably divorce me because I wouldn’t know what day our daughter has soccer if he didn’t put it in my outlook.

      • anon

        This is us. I have an “in case I die” binder that has all the information, including the forms filled out for life insurance and my pension that has tabs of where to sign and what information to add. My best friend has a copy of the binder to bring over because he would lose the binder or forget where it is!

        • Tea/Coffee

          OMG this is me too! DH admits that he’s… not good in a crisis. Literally the first page in my “if i get hit by a bus”binder says “call So and So, they will walk you through this.” So and So is the most level headed person alive so even if i die they will be able to think things through.
          Basically I handle everything, and tell him slightly more than he wants to know. I kinda wish he wanted to know more, but he rests easier knowing that “there’s money and he can’t get to it.”
          We fully embrace the concept of SME’s in our daily life. I’m sure he wishes I cared a teensy bit more about which dish soap he’s buying, or the noise the lawnmower is making. It’s worked for us for twenty years and TBH has eliminated a major source of stress.

    • Anonymous

      I don’t handle any finances. My husband takes care of everything. I haven’t checked our bank account since we have been married. He has a notebook with passwords / accounts etc for me in case he drops dead.

      I hope this doesn’t bite me in the but… except I have absolutely no interest in managing any finances.

    • Curious

      We use Personal Capital to keep track of investments and net worth and YNAB to manage our budget. We do not have each other’s account passwords for our premarital assets, which could be an issue someday and is probably something we should figure out.

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