It was a problem when I pretended I had too much time available this weekend. I went to the outlet mall, then came back with another bag. At least it was only one. I told myself that. It could be worse. With online shopping being so convenient, I probably would have bought more on the same day when I shopped online.

The bag I ended up buying at the outlet was a Fossil Kingston Tote in black. I considered getting the brown one since I have bought so many bags in black lately, but they only had one on display, and they had sold it out online.

Out of all the bags they had, why did I choose to get the Kingston Tote? It was simply the style of the bag. Although I did see multiple items in which I thought the quality was worth considering, ultimately, I bought what I would use in my daily life.

If you are not familiar with products from Fossil, they have products that are made specifically for their outlet stores like Coach, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors. The Kingston Tote is basically a replica of their Carmen Shopper. It is a similar style, but they cut back on the material and modified the design to produce it for the outlet at a lower cost. I don't believe in the comparable value price tag they put on their bags when shopping at the outlet stores. I know the price I saw was not an on-sale price unless I got an extra discount off that outlet pricing. For example, this Kingston Tote is cheaper than Carmen Shopper because the leather they use was lower-grade leather. They also cut back on the hardware like the strap, the metal feet, and the skeleton key bag charm. Did you know they are selling the decorative key bag charm for $28?

I chose to get the Kingston Tote instead of the Carmen Shopper because I had never bought a Fossil bag before, and I wanted to try something before investing more into the brand. Also, since I got to see the Kingston Tote in person, I thought the bag's quality was decent, and I love the size. However, when I checked out at the register, the sales associate told me the bag does come with a one year warranty if the stitches ever fall apart. That somehow didn't make me feel more confident with their quality. I wished I never have to go back due to the quality issue. After all, I am not rough with my bags. But, now you know, if you run into a quality issue within a year of your purchase, you could go back to have them fix it.

The Fossil Kingston Tote is a fairly simple bag with a magnetic closure. I'm not sure how long the magnet will last, but so far, I can keep the bag shut when I use it. On the outside, it has two stripes of leather that continue straight from the handles through the tote's body, creating a look that reminds me of a briefcase. On the front of the bag, it features a slip pocket that is big enough to fit my iPhone 12 Pro Max with a slim case. But, of course, if you had a bulky case, then your 12 Pro Max would be too tight.

Look inside the tote, and it is incredibly similar to the Michael Kors Mercer Tote I have. The bag has a big zipped pocket in the middle that acts as a divider as well. It is sewed at the bottom, so you do get two big open compartments that are separate. The tote is fully lined with polyester fabric; it feels like some water-repellent fabric that you could easily wipe clean. In addition, It has another zipped pocket in the front compartment that is large enough to store your wallet or purse or any big size phones you have. Finally, inside the back compartment, it features two slip pockets and a pen slot. With all these pockets, I could keep my wallet and phone secured and still have extra space for random things like a bag of sanitizing wipes.

The Kingston Tote is an excellent bag if you could get it for under $100. It is a medium-sized bag that could carry more than a book but not too big that people start wondering if I was on a trip or something. I imagine I would use this bag quite frequently, and I will report back if I run into quality problems!