Mercato Tote Bag

A tote is usually one width for life. This one has two, and the choice is made at the kerb rather than at the till.

The Gucci Mercato medium tote fastens with a piston closure and has sides that can be worn cinched in or left open, so the same bag reads as a narrow tote one day and a full shopper the next. The shape comes from the spacious market shopper, which is also where the name lands: mercato is Italian for market. The body is soft black leather with gold-toned hardware, and the lining is black canvas printed with the Diamante motif, a pattern Gucci pulled back out of its own archive for the Spring Summer 2026 collection. A single zip pocket is set into that lining. At 35 centimetres across, 28 high and 15 deep, Gucci lists the interior as room for an iPad, an iPhone, AirPods and small items, with a 24 centimetre handle drop that clears a coat sleeve. Empty, it weighs around 0.6 kilograms.

Gucci's care note is worth reading before the first wet day, because soft leather this untreated does not forgive one. Keep the bag out of direct light, heat and rain, and if it does get caught, dry it at once with a soft cloth. Between outings, fill it with tissue paper to hold the shape and draw off humidity, then store it in the flannel bag it arrives in.