LV's Bread & Butter: The Monogram Canvas Tote Bag
At the end of the day Louis Vuitton is a practical luxury brand. Way more than their competitors at Gucci, Prada, and Fendi, LV's history as a luggage designer has instilled a high appreciation of functionality in the house's designs. Sure they're trendy, sure they're chic, eccentric, extravagant, sometimes even totally bizarre, but those are the exceptions. The real basis of the Vuitton image are the Monogram canvas tote bags. The simple, durable monogrammed tote bag is the most flexible purse design and can be anything from a grocery bag to a ten thousand dollar masterpiece. What better to represent a brand that has made it's legacy on functional luxury bags and trunks for travel?
What Defines the Monogram Canvas Tote Bag?
A monogram canvas tote bag by definition is essentially a carryall. It is a large two handled bag with a wide opening that can be used to stuff everything but the kitchen sink into. Think those reusable grocery bags, or a beach bag and you've basically got the original meaning of tote. The origin of the word itself is from the 17th century, meaning "to carry". In luxury fashion the term has been used to describe a larger spectrum of bags—any simple design that's not a pouchette or a shoulder bag or a clutch…or a flap, or a hobo can be referred to as a tote bag.
101 Different Monogram Tote Bags
When it comes to Louis Vuitton, monogram canvas totes are so auspicious you begin to realize why just about everything gets called a monogrammed tote bag. Most of the time they are! Here are just a few examples of the Monogram canvas tote: The Carryall, Keepall, Batignolles, Musette, Cabas Piano, Neo, Stresa GM and PM, Palermo, Griet, Neverfull, Luco, Babylone, Noe, Bucket Bag, Popincourt, and of course, the Speedy.