This TikTok-Viral $30 Tote Bag Has Never Gone Out of Style in 78 Years

As a Millennial, I'm not ashamed to say I love TikTok as much as any member of Gen Z. I was recently scrolling through the app while working from home—er, I mean, after work!—and came across not one, not two, but three different videos referencing a classic, affordable staple: the L.L.Bean Boat & Tote Canvas Bag ($30). Don't you love it when the algorithm figures you out?
Showing off a perfectly preppy outfit complete with an L.L.Bean tote, Tiktoker @jesicaelise said: "Very rarely will I let you forget that I spent way too much time at a private school." I felt that one. The video went viral with nearly half a million views and over 500 comments, with users gushing over their love for the timeless, incredibly durable tote bag, which debuted in 1944.
I also came across @aileciajones's video and then @mippapiddleton's, where she says she was influenced to buy the tote because of the two videos. Many people on TikTok adore the monogram service that L.L.Bean's website offers and have used it to write funny phrases on the bags instead of their names.
But if that wasn't enough proof of its surging popularity, our social media manager said she bought one last week because she saw an image on Pinterest of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wearing it in 1997. Meanwhile, Chloë Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon carried—get it?—the bag into the 2010s.
While the bag is enjoying newfound fame on TikTok, it has never gone out of style in the 78 years since it came on the market. Scroll down to see the TikToks and celebrity photos, and shop the bag yourself.
@aileciajones inspired by @graciewiener
♬ original sound - Ailecia Jones
@jesicaelise It was the worst of times.
♬ original sound - Jesica
@mippapiddleton #greenscreen the more I see the Boat and Tote on cool people like @Ailecia Jones and @Jesica the more I think I need one of my own for the summer #llbean
♬ original sound - Travis Leon
The bag comes in small, medium, and large sizes in a slew of different colors. This one has an open top, while others have a zipper.
Shop the L.L.Bean Tote Bag
This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Next, the 10 most popular designer bags of all time.

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.
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