The tote bag, especially the Paisley tote bag, with its beautiful teardrop tote bag pattern – is looked up to as the workhorse of bags. It relentlessly carries mundane items like shopping – day in, day out – without complaint. Of course, shopping is so mundane that if we didn’t do it, we would not eat, and if we didn’t eat, we would die. So, maybe that makes the tote quite important – right?
Right! Could you live without your Paisley clutch bag? Your sports bag? Your handbag? At a push, we think you probably could. But, could you live without your tote bag? Yes, you probably could, because you can improvise, can’t you? But, why should you? Tote bags – while not compulsory to own are that breed of bag that should be a staple in anyone’s bag diet.
Why? When used correctly, the tote tends to venture out more than your other bags. And because it normally accompanies you – or you accompany it – both need to be up to scratch. If one of you is not, you let the other one down. And let’s face it if you own something like an embroidered Paisley tote bag, the only one letting the side down is likely to be you.
Why it should be a Paisley tote bag
Paisley luxury tote bags look classy – ridiculously classy for what they are asked to do. But – and this is important (in the context of this article, not in world terms), they never look out of place when doing what they do – whatever that is!
Paisley tote bags never appear uppity – as if they are too good for merely carrying shopping. No, they look perfectly at home while carrying boring and sometimes heavy items. They never look cheap - even with slogans printed on them like ‘What You Looking At? Never Seen A Tote Bag?’ No, they just quietly exude class. And by extension, because you carry it (although some will say it carries you), you too will be determined to have class.
What else can tote bags be used for?
Besides looking classy, your tote bag has some other great attributes:
Conversation starter
They make a great starting point for conversations e.g.
‘Is that a Paisley tote bag?’
‘No’.
‘Are you sure? It looks like it to me.’
‘No, it is not.’
That would be an example where you engage in a short conversation. If you wanted to engage in meaningful conversation, it might go a bit more like this:
‘Is that a Paisley tote bag?’
‘No’.
‘Are you sure? It looks like it to me.’
‘Yes, actually it is. I’m a renowned prankster… a really fun person. Would you like to get to know me?’
‘No.’
Most conversations about tote bags will generally last longer than that of the clumsy conversationalist highlighted above. Most tote bag users are intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, friendly, and attractive – in an unusual way.
A tote bag is like Doctor Who’s Tardis. Once inside, you will find it difficult to appreciate its size. This makes it the perfect receptacle for carrying shopping, or anything with similar dimensions to shopping (like shopping lookalikes).
The sturdiness of the tote bag is why it is called ‘The Workhorse of Bags’ – by us. It’s true – the bags are incredibly hard-wearing – and unlike most normal bags – they do not complain about becoming faded or stained. They carry on and never complain, even when asked to perform alternative functions. And they are indeed perfect for many alternative functions:
Carrying picnic items
Why would you lumber around with a large picnic hamper, when you could easily carry a couple of lunch tote bags full of your picnic goodies?
Newspaper transporter
Perfect for the newspaper delivery route, you can finish your route and then pop into the supermarket and bring home your shopping.
Rain protector
A lightweight weekender tote bag placed over the head offers great protection from the rain (but don’t use it for that purpose while you have shopping in it).
Moving bag
When you are moving home, one way to not forget your tote bags is to use them to carry some of the stuff you are moving. Their lightweight but protective qualities make them perfect items for carrying items like crockery or bottles of expensive malt whisky.
Dirty laundry storer and remover
Ideal for the student who brings their dirty laundry back to their mom’s to get cleaned, the book tote bag also makes a great disguise to hide the fact that your kid is bringing their dirty laundry back to their mom’s to get it cleaned.
Advertising
Perfect for advertising whatever you want – a Paisley Pattern tote bag would be perfect for us at Just Paisley… but a tote bag branded with whatever you do… if you do anything… and you really should… then every time you use your branded tote bag… you are advertising your business.
Relationship initiator
Let’s face it, if you wanted to attract someone’s attention by identifying yourself as unable to carry something because of its weight, you would not pick a purse (unless you were already extremely very wealthy, in which case you would already have attracted their attention). No, you would choose a heavily laden travel tote bag.
Beach bag
A large tote bag makes a useful beach bag. When you sling your surfboard over your left shoulder and carry your beach tote bag with all your surfing necessities in your right hand, you are perfectly balanced. And if it is a canvas tote bag – as many are – then you won’t mind too much if oils are spilled over it (as it adds a touch of character).
Substitute plastic container
If you don’t like plastic containers – and who does? And who should? – tote bags make a great alternative for temporarily storing items. And because it has two handles that fit one hand, rather than two sides that require extended arms, it leaves you an arm free to do whatever you can do with a free hand – which is quite a lot!
Bag carrier
If you don’t want to make too many statements, it is sensible to use a main bag to hold your excess bags. This main bag needs to command the respect of the other bags – some of which might have been accumulated out of necessity – like a last-minute shopping emergency, a product that needs to be wrapped because it is squelchy, or any branded bag that a retailer wants you to use to advertise their name (without paying you for it).
Such bags need to be held in a main bag – and something like a colourful Paisley tote bag is big enough – in every way – to hold together all of this disparate bunch of bags together. And it is not too grandiose that it won’t sit under a sink, a set of stairs, or in the boot of a car.
Paisley tote bags do not have egos – they know what they are and are extremely happy.
