Every season, it feels like there’s a new ludicrously capacious tote for the fashion set to fall in love with. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful designer bag, and yes, The Row’s Margaux is still sitting pretty at the top of my wish list, but lately, the bag I can’t stop noticing in New York isn’t particularly precious at all. It’s colorful, slightly slouchy, covered in hand-painted initials, and being thrown over the shoulders of some of the coolest women around.
Enter Alex Mill’s Perfect canvas totes. Available in Daily, Weekday, and Weekend sizes, the sturdy carryalls have quietly become an It-girl staple, spotted on everyone from Emma Chamberlain and Kaia Gerber to Gwyneth Paltrow. The real draw, though, is the personalization: Each can be finished with a colorful hand-painted monogram that makes an otherwise simple canvas bag feel entirely your own.
If you’re familiar with Alex Mill, the rise of the cool girl tote probably tracks. The New York brand was founded by Alex Drexler in 2012 with the goal of perfecting those deceptively simple wardrobe staples you actually want to live in. Today, with former J.Crew and Madewell designer Somsack Sikhounmuong at the creative helm, that same slightly preppy, slightly downtown, I just threw this on sensibility runs through everything it makes—including its totes.
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Right now, it feels like fashion is craving exactly that kind of personality. After years of quiet luxury and anonymous, logo-free minimalism, getting dressed is feeling fun again. We’re tying scarves onto handbags, piling on charms, hunting down vintage keychains, and choosing pieces that look like they could only belong to us. A perfectly pristine bag is nice, but one painted with your initials, stuffed with your laptop and lip glosses, and a little beaten up from carrying it everywhere? Much, much cooler.
How To Style The Alex Mill Monogrammed Tote
On Celebrities
Kaia Gerber wears jeans, a button-down shirt, and her Alex Mill monogrammed tote bag.
(Image credit: Backgrid)
Emma Chamberlain wears jeans, a t-shirt, Tabi ballet flats, and her Alex Mill monogrammed tote bag.
Gwyneth Paltrow wears a button-down shirt, wide-leg trousers, and her Alex Mill monogrammed tote bag.
(Image credit: Backgrid)
On The Style Set
Tastemakers Jeanne Lydie Rose and Alice Pilate wear knitwear sets, metallic ballet flats, and their Alex Mill monogrammed tote bags.
Baker Lucie Franc de Ferriere’s light pink limited-edition Alex Mill Everday Weekday monogrammed tote bag.
Fashion writer Jalil Johnson wears the Alex Mill Everday Weekday monogrammed tote bag.
Shop the Alex Mill Monogrammed tote bag
Alex Mill
The Perfect Weekday Tote
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The Perfect Weekday Tote
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The Perfect Weekend Tote
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The Perfect Weekday Tote
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