The Scarlet Letter — Women's Leather Tote

The Scarlet Letter is the plain, workaday leather tote for the lawyer who carries the same bag every day, everywhere, until it stops being an accessory and becomes a record.

• Full-grain, vegetable-tanned Italian cowhide (Vachetta), hand-dyed by the maker
• Fits a small laptop, up to 12″
• Three large separate compartments plus an inside zip pocket; large smartphone pocket
• Zip top opening; two carry handles plus a detachable, adjustable shoulder strap
• Metal studs protect the base; cotton-lined interior
• 15.7 × 5.1 × 10.2 in · 3.1 lb
• Ships in the maker's gift box
• Brown · Made in Italy

Full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather is the only leather improved by being seen in public daily. It scuffs, darkens, takes weather and corrects itself, and in a year it reads better than it did new. Hawthorne's 1850 novel — the maker's namesake here — is about a mark worn openly until the town re-reads it: by the end, people said the A stood for Able. Vachetta works on the same principle, faster. The zip top is the practical difference from an open-mouthed tote — it closes over the back seat, the security tray, and the weather.

Questions we are asked

Will a 13-inch laptop fit? No — the maker rates it to 12 inches, and we will not round up. For a 13-inch machine, see the Shirley or the Orlando.

Is brown too casual for court? Brown Vachetta with a suit reads as considered rather than casual; it is the same leather the Sound of the Mountain briefcase is made from.

Three compartments — what goes where? Laptop in the centre, files on one side, the day's personal kit on the other, phone in its own pocket so it is never at the bottom.

Care. Vegetable-tanned Vachetta darkens with handling and sun; that is the leather working, not wearing out. Wipe dust with a dry cloth, keep it away from radiators, and condition lightly once a year with a colourless leather cream. Rain marks fade as the surrounding leather catches up.

For the tote that converts for the evening, see The Woman in White; for the structured workbag, see Shirley. Choosing between the two work totes? Read The Shirley, or the Camilla?

Barrister & Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Time Resistance, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister & Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.

Warranty. This Product carries Time Resistance's lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, remedied by repair, and Barrister & Bespoke's own Thirty-Day Assurance for the first thirty days after delivery. Full terms, including how to make a claim, are stated in our Warranty Policy.