For those who’ve been following me on Insta, you know that I’m completely obsessed by The Row’s N/S Park Tote. I first encountered it secondhand in a shop in Ginza, and even though it was quite worn I couldn’t pass it up (I went back the next day for it).
My first love from The Row
Ever since then I’ve been on a hunt for secondhand Park Totes (I got them all from Japan) and have gotten two mediums (one in the pebbled leather and one in smooth), one small, and one large, along with a brand new pebbled medium one from Saks in cognac (I originally purchased this as my gold standard for authentication just to verify all the others were authentic, but now I’m leaning towards keeping it). Since I have all these Park Totes in my possession right now I thought it was finally time to put some of my thoughts on paper (or I guess screen).
Sizing
First let’s talk about the three sizes that the N/S Park Tote comes in. The small measures 9.8” x 8.7” x 4.7”, the medium measures 11" x 13" x 6" and the large measures 15” x 17” x 8”. On paper the small doesn’t seem that much smaller than the medium (a couple inches less in depth and height though over 4” less in width). But the handle drop is much shorter for the small at about 9” compared to the almost 11.5” of the medium (and for reference, the large strap drop is about 12”). So when it comes to fitting the bag over my shoulder, the small can be quite snug (and impossible with a winter coat on). In which case the small is mostly a hand or forearm-carry type of bag. I’ve seen quite a few Japanese influencers carry the small and I think they can because 1) they’re fairly slim and 2) they have no kids. The small size IMHO is a young person’s game.
Large vs medium vs small N/S Park Totes from The Row
My favorite by far is the medium since it can easily fit over my shoulder no matter what I’m wearing, and it can also fit essentials plus some (including a water bottle, kids toys, a book, etc). It can also fit an iPad but will not fit my 13” laptop without the laptop sticking out the top. The large on the other hand with a height of 15” can easily fit my laptop as well as a whole weekend’s worth of clothes if I so choose. The large is Massive (talk about a ludicrously capacious bag). I haven’t taken the large out as much since I tbh have no need for such a large bag. I might consider it a work bag in the future but I honestly just got it with the intention of making this Park Tote review complete 😂 and might be rehoming it in the future. [Side note: I’m starting to think of my home as a catch and release program for secondhand The Row Park Totes lol]. In terms of weight: the small weighs 11oz., the medium weighs 1lb. 3oz, and the large weighs 2lbs 1oz. Two pounds for a such a massive tote made of high quality leather is not unreasonable, however IMO I find the large tote to be a bit heavy (probably because I’m used to carrying the medium around as my daily bag).
Quality
For long time readers, you know I’m all about high-quality leather handbags whether they come from Hermes or Quince (and all the other ones in between). So I don’t take it lightly when I say the leather on The Row Park Totes are some of the best I’ve felt. In fact I didn’t really understand the hype about these bags at first. I even got a dupe (ie there is no Row branding, it’s just the same shape as the Park Tote in a lesser quality leather) from Etsy to see if I would be interested to spending the big bucks on the real thing. And I didn’t think the shape of the bag was all that interesting. It wasn’t until I went to that secondhand shop in Ginza and felt my first Park Tote that I understood. I fell in love with the Park Tote at first touch lol. The leather that the source for their bags are so so so good. I would rate it close to Hermes bags (though when I did a side by side comparison with my Hermes Lindy made of Taurillon Clemence, the Hermes leather is less soft and a bit stiffer with a smaller grain). It’s the leather of the Park Tote that makes it, thus no dupe can be a true dupe of the bag because the leather can never compare (this also makes it easier in my mind to be able to tell the real from the fake bags since the fake bags can never mimic the leather feel of the real deal). And it doesn’t even matter which leather they use because they’re all so dreamy. My black medium pebbled leather is smooth and has a slight sheen compared to the cognac pebbled leather one, which had more of a dry hand feel. And the smooth tan leather is so different yet equally as beautiful as the pebbled. As far as I know you can’t go wrong whichever leather type you choose for the Park Tote—they’re all made with the best quality leather that they can source. And it’s the drape of the leather, the smooshiness if you will, that makes the Park Tote so beautiful. And it gets better with age, which brings me too…
Durability
So when you first get the tote, the leather is stiff and the bag is a bit generic (if you get it new). But with use this bag starts to develop, as we say in Japanese “aji”, or a flavor: iIt’s own unique essence because of the bag users love for it. The leather start to smooth in certain areas and the handles become a little more floppy (or if it stays stuffed in a dust bag the handles might develop its own special curve). You can immediately see the difference between a well-used and well-loved Park Tote and one that’s been sitting on the shelf. The well-loved one has so much more character. That being said, if you use the bag daily for a year you will see a softening of the corners and the handles, and some corner wear. If you don’t like to see a patina to your bags then I would suggest storing the Park Tote stuffed and on its side (the corners start concaving in because of the weight of the bag), with the handles out of the dust bag. But honestly to me that’s ridiculous because not only will your bag take up about 22” of shelf space (11” H plus the 11” strap drop) but these bags are meant to be carried and loved. They’re meant to have character.
As for the difference between the smooth and pebbled leather: so far what I’ve been describing above only really applies to the pebbled leather version since I’m basing it off my most loved one (the black pebbled one). I also have the smooth leather version in tan that feels pretty new. So I’m not sure if it will wear the same. But I do worry a bit about color transfer (especially from denim) and scratches to my light colored Park tote, thus I haven’t really used it as much. And even though the smooth leather feels divine, I generally like the texture of the pebbled leather one more.
Usability
So as you can imagine, a big bucket tote with no interior pockets can be quite a black hole. Since starting to use this bag I’ve gotten used to carrying all my smaller items in a pouch so that the only things floating around in the bag are my wallet, sunglasses case, and this pouch. This also makes it a lot easier when switching between bags (this all fits into my Loewe Puzzle as well and that’s the one I’ve been switching with depending on the weather and where I’m going to be). But in the future I want to get a custom Zoomoni to fit my medium Park Tote. I got an organizer from Etsy that was supposed to fit the medium but it doesn’t, and I ended up using it for my large for now (I think whatever organizer you get, it should be more of a rounded shape than a square).
Another question I had from a reader was whether the strap stays on my shoulder, and it does. Even though I have poor posture and my shoulders are sometimes hunched, I don’t have any problems with the bag slipping off unless I’m leaning way over.
And lastly, I use this bag on most occasions, but if I know I’m going to be in a crowded area I tend to go for the Loewe Puzzle instead because 1) the large opening of this bag makes it less secure and 2) the bag can stick out a bit when full so there’s a higher chance of someone bumping the bag.
Price
Currently the price of the small is around $1490, the medium is $1690, and the large is $2390. I think for the quality of the leather you are getting a fairish price (at least it’s not the price gouging of some of the big brands, ahem Chanel). There is another version of the Park tote that has an adjustable strap and interior pocket that is sometimes called the Park Tote Belt (because the adjustable strap is like a belt), and that goes for about $1k more than the simple non-belted version. But some department/online stores don’t make the differentiation so if you see a Park Tote going for a lot more, check to see if it’s the belted version. None of my totes are the belt version. As for me I bought all but one (my cognac one) of my Park Totes secondhand from Japan. The Row has been huge there for over a year now (according to the YouTube videos I’ve seen) so they’re the only place I’ve found with reliably authentic secondhand Park Totes. Since Japan has a really strict policy on fakes and the society is quite meticulous in general, I tend to trust their authentication (though that’s not to say a good fake can’t get by them—nothing is 100%). And even though I bought them below retail, I wouldn’t say it was an amazing deal. The first one (the black pebbled one) I bought in person was $1490 tax free. Considering it costs me $1850 (with tax) to buy it new in California, saving $360 for a bag I couldn’t find anywhere was a good enough deal for me. I got the small for $1092 total via eBay (so about a $540 savings compared to full price+tax) and I got the large for $1700 total ($917 in savings). I think if you want the medium (which I think is the most popular and usable size) you won’t get it for much of a discount. And just a reminder that if the deal seems too good to be true, then buyer beware (there are good fakes of this Park Tote out there—I came across one but more about that in another post). As of right now (early 2024) I could only find a new medium smooth leather tan one for $1990 here (I found several secondhand ones on eBay and Mercari but they look fake to me). And this secondhand one in small looks authentic to me and is at a reasonable starting bid. Also The Row’s website still has a few small N/S totes left here.
The Row as a brand
And finally some of my thoughts on The Row as a brand. I might be a bit of a MK and Ashley stan since I’ve always respected their taste. Back in the day I did purchase a couple Elizabeth and James (their diffusion line) items because I couldn’t afford The Row, and I even bought their book Influenced (which were a collection of interviews with famous people they were influenced by). So it’s probably not a surprise that at 40 I’m a fan of The Row now. [ My first review of The Row was of a cashmere sweater that I picked up from The RealReal last year.]. But I never expected to reach “buy multiples in the same color” frenzy that I have in fact gone and done. I haven’t had this many colors of the same bag at the same time since my Balenciaga city bag craze of 2006 or Mansur Gavriel bucket bag phase of 2014. Anyway to get back to the topic at hand, I really respect The Row for the quality items they make and the fact that they stay true to their vision of well-made items. And it made me realize that as both the designers and owners of their private company, MK and Ashley have full control over everything The Row does and make, and they never waver in their commitment to quality and simple design. Compare this to Celine, which is owned by the LVMH conglomerate. I loved the design and quality of Celine under Phoebe Philo, but I don’t really mesh with the design of Hedi Slimane (can’t really speak to the quality except it’s probably the same). And that’s ok, but I can’t ever make a blanket statement like “I love Celine” since the brand itself can change so drastically. But in its short history (The Row was established around 2007), The Row has proven to be fairly consistent and you can almost always count on the quality. And as a final point I’m just going to say that yes, “quiet luxury” was such a buzzword for 2023 and maybe that’s why The Row is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. But for someone like myself that’s always been a fan of simple designs and quality materials, The Row isn’t just a trend for me personally. Also as a side note: I found this recap of the Row in YouTube quite interesting and well informed.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this lengthy review. If you would like to see more of my Park Totes I’ve created a highlights in Insta here. And I’ll be beginning a collection of my reviews of The Row here. I also plan to do a YouTube video of it (I know I know I keep talking about hopping on to YouTube and making content there—I really want to but it’s intimidating and scary lol). I don’t know if you can get the real feel of these beautiful bags on the blog, so a video would really be better. When (if) I get a video up I will link it here.
P.S. I’ve seen/hear some people compare the Park Tote to the Celine Sangle, and having owned the Sangle in the past (my review of the Celine Sangle here) I would say that even though they look very similar, I find the Park tote to be a much easier bag to carry. For one, the Park tote is waaay lighter in weight than the Sangle. The Sangle is a double leather lined tote, which made it a lot heavier than it looked. Also even though the extra pockets on the Sangle seem useful, I was always having to check every single pocket to find which one I put my phone in. And lastly, even though the leather tie of the Park tote seems overly simple, it totally works better than the hook of the Sangle. But in all honesty, it’s really the weight of the Sangle that made me sell it in the end.
P.P.S. I also wrote up a little guide on how to authenticate The Row Park tote. I accidentally bought a fake one so I took it as the perfect opportunity to do a little comparison.