Yes, the crossbody strap detaches. I have a walnut Hailey and absolutely love her! She's plenty roomy enough for me (similar in capacity to my medium Carly or medium Zoe), and amazingly lightweight when carried with the shorter shoulder strap. I just use the crossbody strap when I need my hands free. And she's just so pretty! She is very slouchy, but I love that, too, although it does sometimes make the zipper harder to zip or unzip.