I recently went on a four-day press trip to Vancouver Island, B.C. My non-adventurous, inappropriate footwear-wearing self was schlepping through forests, tagging along on a salmon-fishing excursion, touring hotels, tasting tea-infused cocktails and meeting and greeting with just about anyone who had a fascinating story to tell. It was grand.

If you’ve never been on a press trip, you should know that we journalists are still technically working, though at times we do feel a little pampered (the chef prepared this dish just for moi?). So working means lugging the laptop around, collecting informational pamphlets and making sure notebooks and pens are within close reach.

Normally I’m partial to satchel bags — I’ve carried the same black leather Coach satchel for about five years now — but when I was sent the J. Crew Downing tote in a rich brown leather, I thought I’d give it a whirl. That dang bag hauled everything I threw in it: a sweater, a knit hat, laptop, notebook, wallet, endless lipsticks, plastic baggie with plane-approved liquids, papers, folders. There’s even an interior detachable wristlet that was sized just right for my passport, which is good since every single time I travel to Canada I’m nervous that I’ve forgotten it.

But even though my tote was filled to the brim, I still felt super chic and put together (and not the harried, perpetually late writer I really am).

“The Downing tote is a versatile bag that works with all styles for so many different purposes,” Tom Mora, head womenswear designer at J. Crew told me. “It is just as wonderful at the beach as it is at the office.” My plan is to tote my tote to the pool when I’m in Las Vegas this weekend, so I’ll put this theory to the test.

Right now on the site and in its Seattle and Bellevue stores, you’ll find J. Crew’s spring wares with an emphasis on pink and over-the-top accessories. (For those playing at home, the preppy retailer is hosting an accessory contest that you can read about and enter here.) Recently, the brand made headlines at New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 with its incredibly colorful and sparkling pieces for the upcoming cold-weather season. Forbes‘ Alicia Adamczyk said its fall collection is “filled with covetable pieces in surprising color combinations” like lemon and cotton candy pink and noted that a “rainbow-sequined blazer looks downright practical.”

Rainbow sequins? Sold.