When Katie Holmes wears the same piece several times in a row, I take note—but I’m even more interested when my fellow editors are spotted with the same piece in real life. That's how my love of Madewell bags—almost all of which are on sale right now for Black Friday—came to be. Not only does Madewell make some of the best affordable work bags on the market, but those same pieces can easily double as an everyday essential in your closet (and Holmes's, clearly.)
Madewell’s Black Friday sale just dropped a week ahead of the biggest shopping weekend of the year. The brand is offering shoppers 30 percent off sitewide, including already on-sale finds. An additional 30 percent off can be taken when you use the discount code "MADEBETTER" at checkout. That means you can scoop up Holmes’s favorite under-$200 leather tote, The Essential Bucket Tote, for less in a few neutral colors.
Holmes relies on her brown bucket bag-style tote for her busiest mom-on-duty days, and she’s been spotted carrying it in her most low-key outfits around New York City. With a roomy shape, it can easily double as a laptop-friendly bag in your collection.
However, that's not the only on-sale leather tote worth picking up from Madewell before Black Friday. The Market Tote, which originally retails for $188 and has a larger, slightly slouchier shape when compared to The Essential Bucket Tote, is a favorite of a fellow Marie Claire staffer.
"Ask anyone I've been close to within the last month, and they'll tell you: I am utterly obsessed with my Madewell tote," fashion features editor Emma Childs"The bag has a rectangular bottom insert that retains its shape and structure, an interior pocket for my grab-and-go essentials (i.e., chapstick), and last but not least, my favorite element of them all, a secured carabiner to clip my house keys to."
While Childs favors the sold-out suede iteration (she was an early adopter of this season's suede bag trend!), you can shop the Market Tote in a sturdy leather that won't be marred by wet winter weather.
Or, keep scrolling to shop a few other on-sale options that you can snag ahead of Black Friday. Our finds include another classic tote beloved by Marie Claire's Entertainment Director, Neha Prakash, and a few shoulder bag options perfect for carrying on your next night out.
