I picked mine up today from the store I had it shipped to, and so glad I ultimately went with this style. I thought about it for a long time, watched a number of youtube videos and read all the comments here before I bit the bullet.
My take so far - it certainly does feel big, but somehow not as overwhelming feeling as my other unstructured style tote bags - maybe because it is less... floppy feeling? I like the structure the flat bottom gives it - i think even as the leather softens throughout with wear, this will keep it more or less upright when you set it down which is cool. Most of my bags are quite small and I got used to carrying around less, but lately have been gravitating towards wanting more with me again when I go out and about so really looking forward to getting some use out of this! And the zip top is amazing as it can be tough to find zip tops on bags this large!
But the thing I really wanted to add was also how the braided short strap fits on me. I feel like a medium size person - 5'5 and about 130 pounds. A number of comments/reviews I read online said things like "the braided strap is too short to be worn on the shoulder comfortably" and I almost ruled this bag out for this reason because I was specifically looking for a shoulder bag. BUT I happened to see a woman carrying it in person while I was at a doctor's office a few weeks ago and noticed it looked to be fitting just fine on her shoulder... then I came back here and read the comment from berlander right above this one....so I figured it was worth a short to order the bag and I could always return it if it didn't fit on me.
...And I am pleased to say it fits great on my shoulder too! Super comfortable, and feels secure on the shoulder which is what I was looking for. I love my crossbody bags but in some situations feel they swing around too much when I lean over, hang a little lower than I would like and too far out my line of sight, etc., so for this bag, I wanted something that fit snugly under my arm and this fits the bill perfectly. And remember that as the leather softens with use on both the top of the bag near the zipper and on the strap - the space where your arm fits through is going to get roomier / mold more to your body. To those who felt it was too tight, it may be a matter of preference where some people just want more room there for mobility than I feel I need, and I admit it also may not be as comfortable if I was wearing a bulky coat - but I live in southern california so that is not going to be happening for me much anyways personally. As others have said - the braided strap is gorgeous and unique - really makes the bag in my opinion.
I went for the turtledove color! it is beautiful and also quite similar (but slightly lighter) in color to cuyana's "stone" shade if anyone loves the versatile color but is looking for a lower price point