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Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote review

summer 2018 tote bag

pictured: Summer tote bag c/o Brahmin /

Raise your hand if you are constantly on the quest for the perfect tote. My hand is waaaay up! A few weeks ago I attended a dinner in San Francisco hosted by handbag brand Brahmin. The event showcased their new summer collection. After the event, they gifted us with this beautiful Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag. To say I was thrilled, was an understatement.

This tote bag is perfect for both the office and playtime. Keep reading for my full review!

brahmin julian melbourne tote bag review brahmin julian melbourne tote bag

This Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag is a beautiful yet sturdy tote which can be worn for a variety of activities. It is roomy enough to carry a DSLR camera or a laptop, yet compact enough to not feel like a large beach tote. It’s perfect for the summer. I can fit a water-bottle, a wrap for when the fog sneaks in, my camera, and more. This tote is already getting a lot of use by me, it will definitely be getting a ton of use this summer season!

brahmin julian melbourne tote bag interior

The interior of the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag has just the right amount of pockets. There is a roomy zipper pocket, a key fob so your keys can easily be found, two slip pockets which are great for lipsticks, a phone, or receipts, and a slim pocket which is just right for your favorite pen.

This isn’t a tote you will have to worry about allowing it’s contents to spill out. The bag offers a chic magnetic closure which is easy to open and close. Love that!

brahmin julian melbourne tote bag review brahmin julian melbourne tote bag exterior

The exterior of the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag offers a roomy pocket on the backside which is great for a phone or anything you need to reach for quickly; such as a passport, plane tickets, theater tickets, and more. The underneath of the tote features four brass feet which help the bag stand up straight and keep the leather clean if you need to put the bag down. There is also an understated label plate and chic hanging logo; which is understated as well. The stamped croc pattern looks real and gives the bag a fabulous richness. Love!

The exterior of the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag also offers side snaps which alter the silhouette of the bag, and can make interior larger or smaller depending on how much stuff you need to put inside.

brahmin julian melbourne tote bag brahmin julian melbourne tote bag

With the side snaps closed, the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag offers a smaller interior capacity which is great if you aren’t carrying a ton of items. It also slims down the bag, making it really easy to wear over the shoulder. This is also a great way to help keep items inside from slipping out if the bag tips over.

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It almost looks like two different tote bag styles doesn’t it! With the snaps left open, the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag offers a more traditional, rectangular design which is wide open and roomy. This is ideal for carrying a laptop, folders, and other items you may need for the office. Love that!

All in all the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote is a fabulous workhorse tote which can easily be used for the office and other, more enjoyable summer activities. 😉 It’s priced under $300 and comes in several  beautiful colors. It’s amazing how affordable it is considering all of the luxurious features this tote bag offers. Plus, the construction is exceptionally strong and high quality. Love!

You can find the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote online here.

Shop the Brahmin Julian Melbourne tote bag around the web:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*thank you Brahmin for gifting me this handbag. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

brahmin summer 2018 totes


Pastel stripes and mixed metals

pastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018 pastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018 pastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018 summer 2018 it bags totespastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018pastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018

wearing: double circle gold-tone earrings (under $15!!) / Chanel lipstick / white and pastel stripe top / mixed metal bracelet set / Chanel summer nail polish / summer tote bag c/o Brahmin (under $300!) / vintage Prada belt (love this black belt) / black leather and silver watch / side stripe jeans / silver mules (on major sale-avl in five colors!)

During the summer months, I love casual clothing that breathes. While denim doesn’t exactly breathe, this top sure does! haha, so does that help??

I love this breezy top for the summer season. It has soft, pastel stripes and laid-back, lace-up design. The fabric is loosely woven, so it allows airflow through the fabric. This is fantastic on hot summer days.

This is the outfit I wore last Sunday afternoon when it was ninety-three degrees outside. I am not sure why I wore jeans. This top was perfect, but the jeans were a little too heavy for the weather. I should have worn my denim shorts with this top. That will be my go-to outfit on hot days this summer.

Do you ever reach for jeans without thinking about the weather? I feel like this is something I do often. I just love jeans! What would I have done if Levi hadn’t invented denim pants? I would be living in a sartorial nightmare-that’s what! haha

Shop my casual summer look:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

pastel stripes mixed metal summer 2018


Brahmin summer 2018 blogger event San Francisco

summer 2018 it bag

Last week, I was invited to attend an event hosted by Brahmin at the Presidio Social Club. So what do you wear to a handbag event in San Francisco? A handbag made by Brahmin of course! You can see my bag of the night placed carefully on the passenger seat of my car above. I wore my favorite denim dress and brought a pale grey pashmina with me just in case the fog showed up and froze me to death.

My outfit turned out to be perfect because the fog never came in! Imagine that?! The event started with a cocktail hour outside on the back patio of the Presidio Social Club. The deck was so pretty! I wish I took more pictures, but I was having so much fun I forgot to snap photos!

The restaurant passed appetizers, which were amazing, and I met a few new bloggers, a writer for the style section of The Chronicle, and the Brahmin team. Everyone was so nice, and so much fun to talk to!

brahmin summer 2018 collection event

The amazing bartender pictured above gave a  drink demonstration, and then the restaurant passed around mini-drinks for us to taste. I tried to stay away from the mixed drinks since I don’t drink very much, and I knew I would be driving back to the south bay later that evening; but they looked good!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

The table settings were so cute, and there were place cards at all of the seats. I was seated close to a few of my blogger friends, so that worked out well! The ladies I met on the patio were at a different table, but I am so glad I got to meet them at the beginning of the night, I definitely made some new friends. I met a few new ladies at my table too, so it was a great opportunity to meet new people.

The Presidio Social Club prides itself on farm to table cuisine. The chef has his own farm and much of the food raised and grown on it is served at the restaurant. I enjoyed a vegan soup to start, followed by an amazing swordfish dish. The dessert was fabulous too. If you are ever in the city, definitely enjoy a meal at the Presidio Social Club, the food is to-die-for! Plus, they have a parking lot! That’s golden for us suburbanites coming into the city with our cars!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

My seat was on the corner of the table, so sometimes it was hard to hear people talking further down the table. That’s OK though, because this was the view from my seat. Do you see that black satchel? It is now number one on my wish list. I was staring at it all night long; and it is so chic and beautiful in person. I need one in my life! I wish this was a better photo so you could really see how beautiful it was. Alas, I only had my iPhone that night, so my photos are not as good as they could be.

Now, onto the summer 2018 collection by Brahmin! The collection is beautiful, hands-down beautiful. The brown hue in the collection is rich, and will easily flow from summer into fall. It is also dark enough to be worn in lieu of black. I would love to get my hands on a bag from the collection in brown! For summer, Brahmin also has on-trend styles which include a belt bag, a small backpack which is great for travel, various tote bags which will work for the office, the beach, or day to day summer life. The famous circle bag, known as the Lane Melbourne, is also being shown in a few new colors for the summer season. There are also basketweave leathers, and smooth leathers which compliment the predominately stamped croc collection. All of the summer fabrications are very pretty in person. You will love it!

You can view the entire summer 2018 collection online here. I curated my favorites from the Brahmin summer 2018 collection and placed them in the shopping widget below for you to see. Which bag is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*special thank you to Brahmin for hosting this event and gifting us with a tote bag and goodie bag filled with local artisan foods. all thoughts and opinions in their article are my own.

*all photos taken with my iPhone, apologies for any quality issues

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco