Large Italian Lightweight Leather Tote Bag 72
Black Italian Leather Tote Bag with Crystal Closure + Matching Pouch
Travel in style with this handmade black Italian leather tote bag. This elegant Bay Area–made handbag is perfect for someone on the go who wants to carry a lightweight tote. Customers love MONOLISA bags for their ultra-lightness and unique designs.
To add a touch of shimmer, the bag features a shiny stainless-steel spring-closure hardware element surrounded by crystals in blue, pink, green, lavender, and aqua. Stainless-steel purse feet protect the bottom of the tote.
This tote comes with a matching pouch designed with a lavender accent. The timeless handbag includes a cotton dust bag and is handmade in Clayton, California by artist Lisa Ramos.
The Handmade Handbag Process
This classic tote bag is handcrafted personally by artist Lisa Ramos in her Clayton, California studio . Lisa’s design philosophy is focused on creating high-quality handbags you can wear for years to come.
What makes a MONOLISA tote bag unique is its one-of-a-kind construction. Each handbag is designed with a single piece of leather, resulting in a seamless and sophisticated style. Every bag is an extensive process of sourcing materials, developing a custom handbag pattern, hand cutting leather, working with adhesives, double sewing the interior, creating the closure element, and finishing a storage dust bag.
MONOLISA bags are not mass produced and are never sold in retail stores. Pieces can only be purchased on this website or at a show. MONOLISA handbags have been featured at the San Francisco American Craft Show and other additional fine art juried shows in California.
Handbag designer Lisa Ramos featuring this Italian leather tote in her Clayton, California studio.
Black Italian Leather Tote Bag — Details
Bag Leather: Designed in Italy by a fifth-generation tannery. Its luxurious look and feel is achieved through a vacuuming process that shrinks the leather to create a smooth, polished surface. With wear, the leather continues to burnish and polish, growing more beautiful with age. Natural leather characteristics are visible.
The crystal closure element is designed with a European black patent leather.
Size: 13.5" base | 8.5" height (not including handles)
Handle Height: 5.5"
Side Width: 4.5"
Interior Details: Natural black raw edge with a handmade double-sided patent leather bottom base to maintain structure and prevent sagging.
Italian Leather Pouch — Details
Size: About 8" base | 5.5" height
Interior: Natural black raw edge
Why Handmade Is Better
Handmade pieces offer something mass-produced products cannot—individual craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and lasting quality.
Explore Sold MONOLISA Pieces
Browse past sold jewelry and handbags collected since 2017. More than 1,300 pieces have found homes with collectors, ranging from one-of-a-kind designs to limited runs, including signature crystal earrings.
Mission & Inspiration
My mission is to design beautifully handmade limited-edition pieces that add a touch of elegance to any personal style. Each design is an extension of who I am. I fell in love with the creative process because of the unlimited possibilities. My inspiration comes from exploring new ways to improve my designs and creating pieces that require a new skill set… during that process inspiration is born.
You can also experience the MONOLISA collection in person at select California art shows throughout the year. View Show Schedule →
Professional Memberships: Art Association Napa Valley, MJSA, SNAG, Bay Area made, Argentium Silver Guild, International Gem Society.
