Carry It Off

I know, I know. I have a problem with bags. I recently opened up my front-hall closet and found about five of them in there. Then there’s my cache of them in my bedroom closet. And a few in the mudroom. Stop the insanity, right? I determined that the problem was that I was always settling and that I hadn’t yet found the perfect configuration. You may remember I fell in love with the Duluth Pack bag a while back. It’s still on my radar. And then there was Talin Spring’s bag, which was approved by two other style Kates. Brace yourselves: Here comes another one.

This beauty is made in the USA by J.W. Hulme, that venerable stalwart with the unassuming storefront on West 7th in St. Paul—a company that makes leather heirloom rifle cases alongside gorgeous handbags that not only stand the test of time, but have been enjoying a haute tour of high-end boutiques and movie placements in the last few years.

I love that this looks like an everyday bag for me: gorgeous, well-made, stylish, and also functional. Lots of little outside pockets for phone and pens and tiny notebooks (you never know when a list will need to be made or a story jotted down), plus room for magazines, snacks, and various emphemera. I tend to carry my life with me, to the chagrin of massage therapists and chiropractors. And yes, I’d totally go for the monogramming option.

The bag runs $590. Perhaps I’ll get an in-person peek at it this weekend at the NorthernGRADE show. (Details to come later this week on that.)