I just got one in the regular black leather (the glaze took something away for me). Anyhow, the regular leather is wonderful - soft, thick and the smell is divine. I've never bothered with the city totes b/c they're not my style, but I think this one is a nice, well-finished bag. It's enormous though. I guess I'm not quite used to big bags yet, but it can fit my normal work day things, plus a change of clothes/shoes! One thing I don't like is the "shoulder" strap. It pulls the bag into a weird shape and I don't think it looks very nice. But it's ok because the regular handles are long enough to fit on the shoulder. HTH!