REVIEW: Zara Office City Bag

The Zara Office City bag has quickly become a very coveted item for fashion bloggers, career women and commuters. I purchased the bag in May while I was in Paris after lusting over it for months.

The thing that kept me from buying the bag for so long was the price. In Canada, the Zara Office City bag retails for around $100, which is, in my opinion, quite expensive for a handbag that isn't made of leather. The Zara Office City bag is 100% Polyurethane on the outside and 100% polyester lining.

I kept my eyes on the bag for quite some time, and waited patiently for it to go on sale (or so I thought).

When I was in Paris in May, shopping on the Champs-Élysées, I found myself in Zara. I spotted the Office City bag in a colour I hadn't seen before - a cognac, soft brown colour. I liked the colour right away, especially because I hadn't seen anybody carry the bag in that colour.

However, I started to notice problems with the bag while I was in store. There were scuffs on the outside of the bag, or there was glue in areas where there shouldn't have been glue. Some bags were discoloured in patches. I went through the whole store going through their brown Office City bags and couldn't find a single one in good condition. Considering I was going to pay about $100 for the bag (apologies as I can't remember the exact amount I paid in Euros), I was not willing to accept a bag that was less than perfect.

The store only had two bags in black, one of which was perfect. So, I settled for the black bag, even though I was concerned that the bag may not hold up well overtime due to the seemingly poor construction of the bag (which I had inferred since I experienced so many problems searching for a perfect bag in the cognac colour).

After carrying the bag for a few months, I can now tell my full opinion on the bag and how it's held up. I've used this bag as an airplane carry on bag for a trip to San Francisco, as an every day bag, and as a commuting bag for school. I can finally say I think this bag was definitely worth the $100 I paid.

This bag has carried almost 20lbs in weight when I used it as a carry on and it did not bend out of shape a single bit. The attachable shoulder strap on the bag is amazing for travelling or for when your bag is too heavy to carry on the crook of your arm. I used it quite a lot while I was travelling and though it was tiring on my shoulders (which was more likely due to the weight of my bag rather than the construction of the strap), it was a very useful addition.

The bag claims to fit a 17" laptop, though I've found this is untrue. I can easily fit my 13" MacBook Pro in it's protective case, but can't fit my 17" MacBook Pro at all.

I've had people stop me in the streets to compliment me on my bag and to ask me where I purchased it. I really do enjoy the bag and definitely recommend purchasing it if you can get your hands on one.

the bag with the shoulder strap attached

worn on one shoulder

worn cross-body

worn on the crook of my arm

one of the two snap closure pockets

the main zip closure pocket

the second snap closure pocket