I gave you two images of the Downing Tote, because I was kind of meh about it by itself, but once I saw the tote in an image on a person, I liked it a lot.
I think I might lean a little more in favor of the Madewell. They are both $168 full price. Ouch. But the J. Crew tote often goes on sale at 30% off. Which makes it only $117. A lot more affordable. Apparently, the Madewell never goes on sale.
I do like that the J. Crew seems to be a titch more structured. And I really like the purse in the image with the girl and her weird baseball hat. I am just trying to decide how I feel about the zigzag pattern on the J. Crew Downing Tote.
Hello! I've had the same dilemma and have decided on the Madewell tote for two reasons.
ReplyDelete1. the inside pocket looks roomy and has a zip, whereas the J.Crew comes with a tiny separate pouch.
2. The zigzag on the J.Crew looks a bit shaggy/worn on some people's instagram photos.
What did you decide on?
I ended up going with the JCrew. Here are my thoughts. The little tiny pouch is worthless. It doesn't hold my phone and I am not sure what I would put in there. The zigzag does get a little worn after a while, but more of a charming "I've had this forever" type of way. The structure of the tote seems to stand up pretty well, and I feel like it may be better that way than the Madewell one. However, because it is one big pocket, you must be organized! Otherwise it just becomes a giant hole filled with stuff that you have to dig through every time your phone rings! Price was a factor in my purchasing the JCrew, but in hindsight, I wish I would have waited a little longer and gone with the Madewell.
DeleteBut I do have Madwell's Kensington Satchel, and I think I like the JCrew tote better than that one! I find that I am more of a tote person, not having to deal with zippers, and I much prefer the larger room in a tote.