Mark Cross Just Dropped Summer’s Most Luxurious Beach Bag—and It’s Not Canvas
Last week, a colleague and I had a meeting with Mark Cross's PR rep. I'd been following the resurgence of the 180-year-old American leather goods brand since chief creative officer Sean Spellman arrived in 2023, tasked with reinvigorating the "American Hermes." The company earned that nickname thanks to its similar origin story—as a harness and saddle maker—and its links to a certain actor turned royal. Among its biggest hits is the Grace Box bag, made famous by Grace Kelly in 1954's Rear Window .
Spellman with his Eleanor 55 tote in ivory.
When publicists arrive with product samples, it's typically a pretty unglamorous affair, characterized by either black nylon garment bags or anonymous brown paper shoppers. Not so on this occasion. Instead, said publicist was carrying an ivory leather tote bag so spacious that the three of us could've very nearly fit in it. It was filled with about a dozen of the brand's most popular designs, from the Romy to the Archer . Its official name is the Eleanor 55, after a dear friend of Spellman.
More from Robb Report
"I love an extra-large tote ," Spellman tells Robb Report , noting the trend has also popped up on many a fashion week runway. "I know many people may find it impractical, but I thought it was so obnoxious and fabulous to have an oversized white tote for the summer." For the designer, the shade has its charms well beyond the warmer months, from the beach to the airport.
Mark Cross' largest tote to date, the Eleanor 55 in ivory leather.
"I love white in the winter and always get stopped so I carry it all year long," adds Spellman, whose friend, the stylist Olivia Buckingham , "shook him down" for one in acorn, a medium saddle-brown hue, which has become an essential for her frequent shoots. Spellman says his own Eleanor 55 has carried everything from clothing to wine to framed photos.
Living in N.Y.C., a great tote is indispensable, and this may be the tote to end all totes. Ultralight and with a malleable shape, you can fit "everything and the kitchen sink" without being weighed down. And for anyone wary of purchasing one in Spellman's preferred shade of ivory: "The more you carry it, the better it gets. Our bags are meant to be worn for years to come and passed down. We've heard so many stories about women carrying their mother's, grandmother's, and even great-grandmother's Mark Cross bags," he says. "A scratch or two doesn't matter!"
Spellman's tote, filled with his beach essentials: 2 D. Porthault beach towels, an oversized vintage beach blanket purchased at a St. Tropez flea market, a Mark Cross backgammon board, a 6-pack of Peroni, a Mark Cross Harry washbag filled with sun creams and a beach read, Empire of the Elite .
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
