during my most recent evening barnes & noble outing (yes, the hubs and i lead a pretty exciting life), i grabbed instyle’s fashion tome, “secrets of style” off the bargain table, just to see what they had to say.  nothing terribly riveting, but lots of “must have” items – a list that really just stressed me out more than anything (what does it say about me as a human being if i don’t have a straw handbag, per the “required” summer handbag list?  must i immediately run to my neighborhood raffia warehouse and pick one up?).  

but, one “must have” on their list was a canvas tote for spring.  and, while i do question the “everyone needs one, without exception” mantra, a few have popped onto my radar in the last week, so i figured it must be a sign.

thomas paul is one of my favorite textile designers, and it thrills me to no end that he has just released some brand new tote bag designs.  they’re sweet, stylish, and completely affordable at $36.  in my perfect world, the handle would be just a smidge longer, so i could use it as a tote or a shoulder bag…but my world is far from perfect, and this crab tote is too cute not to share.  love the bold primary colors, love the crab…just love.

on the much more subdued end of the scale – i saw these j.crew totes right before heading to hawaii, and was instantly convinced that the world would stop turning if i didn’t have one to take on the trip.  and yet, true to my perpetual indecision, was unable to bring myself to spend $80 on a canvas tote…even if it does have leather handles.  fortunately, now it’s on sale for $49 – much more acceptable.  the natural color is classic and sophisticated, but will get dirty…i kind of like the va-va-voom of the papaya shade, especially for warmer weather.  and turns out, you can monogram these, which would be so fabulously over-the-top preppy.

i frequently chuck the teen stores off my list as a matter of course, which can be just plain wrong in the summer.  you won’t find a better source for cheap flipflops, scarves, tees…and canvas totes.  this “beachy tote” from american eagle, of all places, has a great boho style, “faux” leather detailing to give it a little structure, and the print just screams summer.  not bad for $39.

so, i have a two-part question for you:  will you be buying/do you already have a canvas tote?  and is it really something you simply can’t survive the summer without?