Burberry Frances Tote – Bag Review

You arguably cannot go wrong with a tote bag, especially when most recent and previous creations so frequently showcase a sophisticated and streamlined design. The thing is, tote bags have never fallen off fashion fanatics’ radars. Why is that you ask? Because they have always been in style, with luxury maisons around the globe working to create re-imagined versions of the labelled “ye olde faithful” tote bag for the many 21st century personalities such as the dubbed ‘it-girl’, ‘girl-on-the-go’ or a personal favourite, the ‘corporate baddie’ as we call them now (thank you TikTok for the creative expansion of our vocabulary).

From the deemed ‘classics’ such as Goyard’s, Goyardine tote which practically sky-rocketed in demand since Scandinavian style became a hot-topic and Chanel’s quilted tote to the more reconceptualised designs such as Furla’s Opportunity tote and Yves Saint Laurent’s latest Icare Maxi shopping bag, which despite its title serves as a tote bag in the eyes of many.

Despite Burberry’s Frances tote’s many unique and simplistic characteristics, a prominent feature of the tote bag would be how ideal the Frances is for someone yearning for a more modern approach to the finer things in life and Burberry is unequivocally the go-to for lovers of the deemed ‘quiet luxury’. Which is something the luxury fashion house do so perfectly, by encapsulating British style and culture within their many elegant and distinguished creations.

The Burberry Frances is a structured tote in Italian-tanned grainy leather, punctuated with a polished Thomas Burberry Monogram. The spacious design features multiple pockets and a leather-wrapped mirror charm.

One exterior slip pocket, one interior slip pocket and one interior zip pocket

Open top with magnetic closure

Hand-painted edges

Polished metal hardware

Made in Italy

Size Options:

Mini – 27cm length, 10.5cm height, 20cm width

Small – 32.5cm length, 12cm height, 24cm width

Medium – 41cm length, 14.5 height, 29cm width

Colour Options

Mini – Black, Camel/Archive Beige/Warm Tan, Spruce Green, Oat Beige, Dusky Pink, Silver, Dark Clay Brown, Cloud Grey, Pale Blue, Warm Russet Brown, Light Saddle Brown

Small – Black, Dusky Pink, Spruce Green, Oat Beige, Warm Russet Brown, Light Saddle Brown

Medium – Black, Dark Clay Brown, Warm Russet Brown

Material Options

Outer – 100% Calf Leather

Lining – 100% Lambskin

Leather top handles 

The tale of this historic British luxury fashion house would begin back in 1856 when the then twenty-one-year-old former draper’s apprentice, Thomas Burberry opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England and by the year of 1870, Burberry had firmly established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. It wouldn’t be until 1901 when Burberry revealed its iconic logo of which we all know now — consisting of the Equestrian Knight containing the Latin word “Prorsum” meaning “forwards”. 

Returning to the present time, the majority of us recognize the luxury brand for their ready-to-wear, leather accessories, footwear, fragrances, cosmetics, eyewear and most importantly for their infamous trench coats. Originally adapted to meet the needs of military personnel, the “trench coat” would emerge during World War I due to being worn by British military officers in the trenches.

The Frances tote bag is only a glimpse into Burberry’s many sleek bag designs for which have continued to turn heads for over a century. Described by the British luxury fashion house themselves as a “functional forever companion,” the Frances tote displays truly nothing less through the symmetry of its clean lines, curved top handles, spacious design, exterior and interior slip/zip pockets and elegant open-top, finished with a magnetic closure only further affirms how “functional” the Frances tote actually is.

The bag’s most notable features would be its logo-engraved mirror charm and the leather inlaid Thomas Burberry Monogram as well as the wide variation of sophisticated colours such as black, dark clay brown and a warm russet brown.

So whether you are the ‘girl-on-the-go’ or the self-acclaimed ‘corporate baddie’ who spends the majority of their time calculating if their laptop will fit comfortably in their bag (we’ve all been there at least once in our lives), the Frances tote bag should undoubtedly be on your radar.