I was very lucky to be asked again this month if I wanted anything from Everlane’s line sheet as an affiliate. And you bet I zoomed in on their Day Tote Mini. Their regular Day Tote is an all time favorite (the most used bag in my closet, which I wrote about here), so I was super excited to try out the mini version since I’m all about smaller bags now (that I can hang off the stroller bar). So even if I wasn’t gifted this awesome bag, I would have most definitely purchased it myself to try it out.
I love the Day Tote Mini because it reminds me of the Celine small vertical cabas, which I always wanted and was *this close* to buying once. But in the end I decided not to because it seemed too plain of a bag to spend over a $1200 for. So I was super excited to see the Day Tote Mini on Everlane’s Coming Soon page and couldn’t wait to take it for a spin. And after having tried it out for a bit, I like this Day Tote Mini a lot. It might actually be a bit better than the Celine small vertical cabas because it’s not as big or as tall. So I can keep things upright and organized (while I could see things getting lost at the bottom of the Celine cabas). Also the shorter bag works well for my petite frame.
The leather of the Day Tote Mini is the same sturdy but lightweight leather that I’ve come to know and love on the regular Day Tote. I like that this tote can stand up on it’s own and doesn’t slouch over like a lot of other totes (however I should note, if you’re not careful how you pack the regular Day Tote, you can distort the leather so it ends up looking wonky like mine did). But I don’t really foresee that same problem with this mini tote since it’s so small, you can’t really overstuff it with heavy items that will bend it out of shape. Oh and I accidentally poured hot water all over this bag and it was completely fine. Just wiped off the water and it was as good as new (no water spots!).
This Day Tote Mini fits all the essentials and then some. I like that I can fit a baby’s bottle upright in there if I need to. So you could probably fit a small water bottle if needed. You could also fit a book or kindle in there. I also love that I can fit things like my sunglass case and sunblock vertically so everything is easy to find. There’s one flat pocket inside that fits my keys and lip balm.
{Wearing: Everlane Cotton Weave Collarless Shirtdress (review coming soon), Everlane V Slingback (reviewed here), Everlane Day Tote Mini, and thrifted hat}
The crossbody strap is adjustable or you can remove it completely which is a nice feature to have. These days since I hang my bag on the stroller I like to have to the option to remove the crossbody strap. For this bag, I remove one side but leave the other side attached just in case I need to quickly throw it over my shoulder. Oh, and the holes where the crossbody strap loops through are reinforced so you don’t have to worry about that area getting worn out if you end up carrying heavy items in your bag.
The only drawback to this bag is that there is no closure so if you’re in a crowded place, you’re going to either want to hold the bag in your hands or have at least one hand over it when wearing it over your shoulder. And if you have a lot of things in your bag, you definitely want to do this since it will gape open when stuffed. If your bag isn’t as stuffed then the handles will kind of come together when slung over your hip so it’s not too open.
I was actually really tempted to get the taupe color above but I played it safe and got black. Since the leather feels similar to the leather of my Everlane mini form bag (and they’re made in the same factory), I don’t think the lighter colors will have issues with color transfer from jeans or getting marked up easily (though I don’t know for sure). But I do like that the black looks classic and it goes with this year’s “summer witch” theme lol. But I’m pretty disappointed with the pale yellow color they have for the third option. A light gray would have been more versatile.
Anyway I put together this review a little early since it was requested by a reader. And I’ll update it to let you know how the bag wears over time! But I hope I’ll be writing a 100 days wear post about this bag (like I did for the regular Day Tote) by the end of the year!
P.S. And congrats to Jenn R. for winning the Everlane gift card giveaway! You have been emailed :)