Your Guide to Buying the Perfect Sized Tote

How many times have you chosen a handbag that was simply not right for your figure? When it comes to choosing the perfect sized tote, the amount of stuff you plan on schlepping around is not the only criterion to take into account.

Your body frame and personal style should also play a major part. When in doubt, take a look at our guide here on how to pick the perfect sized tote for you.

Most tote bags are roomy and are closed by zippers or ties. Tote bags come in all different shapes and sizes and at ycbagmaking.com you can get them in any color you can think of.

A frequently asked question of how you choose the perfect tote bag that would suit your frame and pocket is yet to be answered. Allow us to shed some light.

A tote bag can also be seen as a spacious handbag. Even though tote bags used to be a casual accessory that women went shopping with, they have turned into a multi-purpose bag that has proven to be great for work and everyday use.

Tote bags are also great for touring. There are now many different tote bags from which people can choose, such as heavy-duty canvas tote bags, as well as beach tote bags, and mini tote bags. If you are a lover of sport, why not check out ycbagmaking.com catalog and find the perfect sports tote bag for you.

Our online store guarantees that you will find a tote bag matching your unique style. ycbagmaking.com also has a variety of luxury tote bags and even large tote bags if you are looking to carry a big cargo.

Buying a bag mainly depends on one's lifestyle, style, and needs. When choosing a tote bag, the buyer should consider a number of factors, including body frame, body type, necessities, and personal fashion sense. This way the shopper gets a tote bag that fits her individuality to a tee.

How Many Tote Bag Sizes Are There?

As a rule of thumb there are three types of tote bags when considering size: small, medium, and large. There are also variations, like the oversized totes. How big each of these totes is largely depends on the manufacturer’s standards.

At ycbagmaking.com, the standard size, or medium size, is 15"W x 15"H or 15”W x 16”H. Other manufacturers might consider other sizes as their standard one, like 20”W x 22”. There’s no rule set in stone.

How to Pick the Perfect Sized Tote?

When choosing a tote, you need to consider not only the looks and material but also the size of the bag. A tote that is too small may not fit all the stuff you want. Plus, if you’re tall and thin, a small carrier does not compliment your frame.

If the tote is too big, you might end up with more stuff in your bag than you need, while needlessly putting a strain on your back and shoulders. A petite woman with an oversized tote will look even more petite, sometimes hilariously so.

But the perfect sized tote will enable you to pack as much as you need while looking great on your frame. So, what you should be taking into account when looking for the right sized tote? There are at least for things to consider:

• Body frame
• Needs
• Personal style

Finding the Right Tote Based on Your Body Frame

Your body frame size is a ratio between your wrist circumference and height. You can use a tape measure to measure your wrist circumference. You could be also measuring your wrist circumference with your thumb and index finger (but this one is a less accurate method).

Just wrap your fingers around your wrist. If the two fingers barely touch, you’re medium framed. If they overlap, you’re small boned. If they cannot touch you have a large frame. Here’s a chart of various frame sizes if you decide to use a tape measure.

What is the link between frame size and picking the perfectly sized tote? The right tote can compliment your frame, while the wrong one can put an emphasis on your liabilities while adding years to your appearance.

As a rule of thumb, if you’re small boned stick to small totes or slim vertical ones. If you are medium sized stick to medium sized bags, and if you have a large frame go for large or oversized totes.

Plus, you can always sport an oversized tote to look smaller or a small tote if you want to seem taller. How does that work? It is called the Ebbinghaus illusion, an optical illusion that tricks our brains into perceiving the sizes of various objects wrongly depending on the surroundings of said objects.

For instance, take a look at the two circles at the center of the two designs below. Which one do you think is smaller?

Credit: Cleareyes.com

If you answered the left one, you’re dead wrong. The two circles are virtually the same (you can use a ruler if you don’t believe us). The context has altered how your brain perceives the circles’ relative size. And the same goes for your day-to-day accessories.

Oversized accessories will prompt other people’s brains into thinking that your frame is smaller, and the other way around. That’s why petite women should not carry huge slouchy handbags, unless they want to appear microscopically smaller.

Also, when choosing a tote bag, keep in mind that the point where the bottom of the tote meets your body will be the central focus of every onlooker. So, you might want to adjust the straps or choose the tote that best compliments your assets, like waist, hips, or thighs.

Picking the Perfect Sized Tote Based on Your Needs & Style

This one is a no-brainer. Most people choose a bag perfectly sized to suit their needs. Fortunately, there’s at least one tote bag to fit almost any occasion. Work, school, grocery store, the pool, the beach, and even weekend getaways – there are dozens of tote styles and sizes to choose from. Here are some of the most popular here at ycbagmaking.com.

The Open-Top Tote

The open-top tote is a versatile standard-sized tote bag that’s best used for all the heavy lifting in your life. It makes a great reusable shopping bag, but it can do triple duty as a beach tote and temporary storage bag for your tools and whatnots.

Our Large Size Recycled Shopping Tote Bag is made out of thick, 12 oz recycled canvas and comes with reinforced stress points for bonus points in the durability department. It makes a great go-to carrier for anyone looking for a sturdy but low-maintenance bag interested in the zero waste lifestyle. This bag is great for users with a medium or large frame.

The Stylish Jute Tote

This jute tote can be schlepped around office, but it can double as a roomy reusable shopping bag. It is an extremely chic bag made of jute and cotton blend, with two sturdy rope handles and elegant straps that can be tied together to secure the top of the bag.

The Fashion Jute Tote Bag (pictured above) can add a timeless feminine vibe to almost any outfit. It is a great pick for women with apple-shaped bodies as these body types need larger bags that have plenty of structure to create the perfect balance. There’s also a variant for shorter women: The Jute Carryall Tote with Full Gusset.

The Multipurpose Canvas Tote

This bag is one of the sturdiest bags in our offer while still managing to look stylish. It is the perfect choice if you want to merge your handbag and everyday reusable shopping tote into the ultimate multipurpose tote bag.

The Colorful Cotton Canvas Allie Tote Bag (pictured above) is great for the casual and sporty styles and is great for most figures. Petite women, though, are usually better off without an oversized tote. The Small Messenger Canvas Tote might be just right for them.

You can learn more about tote bag types in our related post: The Ultimate Guide to Tote Bags - Everything You Need to Know About the Tote Bag.

Conclusion

Finding the perfect sized tote looks like a lot of work, but things can get less complicated if you know what to look for. Body frame and needs are two things to keep in mind when opting for a bag. Personal style, however, should be the deciding factor.

Your style is the joker in a card deck which trumps all other playing cards since it makes no sense wearing a bag that meets all other criteria, but it doesn’t match your style. Take our post here as a general guide to how the perfect sized tote for you should be like.