I’ve been stalking the Zara Office City Bag since it first appeared on the site around last Summer. It’s such a gorgeous bag and perfect for work but I just couldn’t justify spending $90 on it since I heard about a few issues with the hardware falling off. Now the Office City Bag is a look-a-like itself of the Prada Saffiano Tote that I damn sure wasn’t buying at $1,150. While browsing around Target or as I like to call it Targé (Tar-jay lol) which is one of my favorite stores, I ran into the Merona Large Structured Tote which looks a lot like the city bag . It was love at first sight. I immediately grabbed two and took one to my cousin who was waiting at the register.
Now the Merona Tote isn’t an exact look alike but it is a similar style with the faux Saffiano Leather texture and three inner pockets. It also has silver hardware whereas the Zara Tote has gold.
Don’t mind the tag. I started snapping pictures as soon as I got it home.
The sides snap shut for a slimmer look.
The inner pocket is large enough to hold plenty. The only thing that I don’t like is that it doesn’t zip or snap shut.
The outer compartments are more slim and perfect for magazines, notebooks and such. The back compartment is padded which is perfect to carry your laptop or tablet. The front compartment has slots for your phone, cards and such. Both the front and back compartments have zipper pockets and they also zip closed. You can put items such as your wallet and electronic devices in these compartments since they are more secure then the middle.
You can carry the bag on your arm by the two short handles or on your shoulder with the removable shoulder strap. I prefer to hold it by the short straps and may just remove the shoulder strap.
It’s a great size for work and school and the different compartments are great for carrying files, books and computers. The straps feel very sturdy and should be able to hold the weight of these items. As you can see the bag also has feet on the bottom. It is very well made and definitely looks like it cost more than $35. Yup, that’s less than half the cost of the Zara Office City Bag. Look for the Merona Large Structured Tote in your local Target or purchase it online at Target.
16 Responses
I’ve been stalking the Office City bag, too! This is a great find- $35 seems like a MUCH more appropriate price than $90 for a bag like this.
Preach!
I have the Zara bag and yep, the clasp on the strap broke after a few months. The Merona bag is a better deal.
I’ve heard horror stories of the material splitting as well. I’d be pissed after paying that much smh
Glad you picked up that second one cuz!I would have been kicking myself if I passed up on it. Love the classic look and how lightweight it is…THANKS 🙂
No problem cuz. I knew you would like it! 🙂
I love it! I love big bags.. with school and work it’s definitely needed..
For sure. I took it out for the first time today and I’m in love. It holds so much. I had to bring my camera and some stuff to photograph and it fits comfortably with the rest if my stuff
Hi I ended up here while searching for reviews for the Merona bag LOL Great review! One question, does it have white contrast stitching? because it looks like that on my monitor screen
Thank you. It has a deep grey stitching. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for this post! I just stumbled across this bag on Target after lusting for months over the Zara bag and wanted to see if anyone had done a review on it! Right now it’s even on price cut for $27.99-such a steal!
I was wondering-how big is the padded zipper pocked for electronics? I’m trying to figure out if it’ll fit my 15.6 in laptop. Target.com gives the width as 15 inches, but you never know if the zipper makes it a little smaller(:
You’re welcome hon. I just measured it and it’s about 15.2 inches. The snaps open on the side making it a little wider in the top so you may be able to squeeze it in 🙂
Thank you so much for measuring it for me! I’m definitely going to buy it now(: xoxo
You’re welcome! xo 🙂
hey, i’m buying this bag online and i have a 15.6″ laptop as well, did you end up buying it? does the laptop fit? thanks!
I don’t have a laptop that size and I no longer have this bag so I am not sure. Sorry.