We are fortunate to live in America, having so many well-known fashion brands to choose from for bag lovers. Fashion items from contemporary brands like Coach, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, etc., are much more affordable than European brands like Hermes, Chanel, or Louis Vuitton. Some European brands indeed have a long history and experience in fashion, but it doesn't mean that their quality is always the best. Do a quick Google search, and I bet you will find much evidence of quality problems about these luxury brands. On the other hand, some of the American brands I mentioned have fantastic products. For example, I have some vintage Coach bags that have been around fifteen to twenty years and still hold up exceptionally well, in nearly perfect condition!

Recently, I really wanted to try Michael Kors' bags, but I had an impression that most of his bags are monogram bags. So, one day, I was bored and decided to check out what kind of bags they have on the Michael Kors' website. To my surprise, they have tons of excellent bags without monograms on them! And if you like something that is more high-end, check out bags from the Michael Kors Collection; they sure exude the luxurious vibes you are after!

When I did my shopping on Michael Kors' website, I noticed their retail bags and outlet bags were mixed without specifically mentioned like what I saw on Fossil's website. Although retail and outlet products are often displayed on the same page on Fossil's website, the product page itself would mention if the product was designed exclusively for the Fossil outlet. Unfortunately, that's not the case for Michael Kors. Unless you are familiar with their outlet products or know how to examine them, there is no definite way to figure out if a product was really on sale or simply an outlet product.

If you would like me to discuss retail vs. outlet, please comment here, and I will put together information that I learned from my research. Now, I am going to get back to reviewing the first bag I got from Michael Kors! As a start, I decided to get a Michael Kors Mercer Large Saffiano Leather Accordion Tote Bag. Their Mercer bags are some of the most popular bags out of everything they have. If a company has been consistently offering the same bag, but in different colors, it is likely a well-made bag, or else it would have been discontinued fast.

While unboxing, I was blown away by how great the Mercer tote looks in person! The structure of this bag is firm and rigid, and with the nature of Saffiano leather, this tote should be able to hold its shape without becoming floppy. Although the bag does come with four metal feet at the base, I don't think they are enough to protect the bottom from damage if you leave your bag on the ground. Since it doesn't feature any extra reinforcement for the base, the tote's bottom part will likely touch the ground when you put it on the floor.

The Mercer tote has a big zipped pocket that acts as a divider for the bag, but it isn't sewed to the base; smaller items may slide through the gap at the bottom. Interestingly, inside the zipped pocket, you would find another smaller pocket with a zipper closure, along with a slip pocket attached to it. When shopping for bags, I don't usually go for bags with thin handles. However, the handles on the Mercer tote have a slim profile, and they are indeed very comfortable to carry. So I may have to change my preference on liking thick handles on the bags! There's a cute decorative, nonfunctional, removable lock attached to it on the front handle. It is likely I will take out the lock when I start to carry it. It doesn't serve a real purpose as a lock, and I may end up accidentally knocking things down if I took it on a grocery shopping trip.

In terms of material, the crosshatching textural Saffiano leather is more scratch-resistant than smooth leather. As a result, marks won't show even if you rub it or lightly scratch the leather with your fingernail. On the other hand, the leather on the handles is smooth, so I must be more careful when carrying it and not knocking it around too much. Also, the inside of the tote is not lined but coated. I imagine if I spill something inside, I could easily wipe it clean. Finally, the plated hardware on the Mercer tote is solid! The metal zipper for the middle compartment seems to help keep the tote's structure, and the silver is a nice accent color for this bag. I like it when companies use metal zippers in their bags because metal zippers tend to last longer and are not easily broken. Often, low-quality plastic zippers fall apart after a while, and the teeth could sometimes break away from the zipper pulls.

All and all, if you can catch the sales on Michael Kors' website, I would recommend picking one up as this is truly a stylish and versatile bag. You could use it when you are all dressed up or on a casual day out. One thing I do want to point out about this tote is, it doesn't come with a dust bag even though it is not supposed to be an outlet bag. Having a dust bag is not relevant to whether the bag is a retail bag or an outlet bag. Michael Kors is inconsistent and confusing in that department, but it will say "dust bag included" under the details if the product comes with a dust bag.