One of the best tote bags you’ll ever find is on tap at the new Etoile store at NorthPark Center. Etoile totes are luxurious, functional, chic, and crafted in America of premium Italian leather, nylon, and other components. Whether you get one or yourself or make it a gift, this tote won’t break the bank. The medium size costs $495 and the large is $595.

“Étoile” is French for “star,” and Etoile is the brainchild of North Texas transplant Annye Grande. The French Canadian hails from Montreal, where she spent 23 years in wholesale sales for fashion brands including Anne Klein and Simone Perele.

Like many new products, the distinctive Etoile tote was created to solve a problem.

Grande traveled frequently in her role as a fashion sales representative, and she couldn’t find a stylish, roomy tote that could hold all her stuff and was reasonably priced. So she made her own.

“I wanted superb designer quality fashion at that sweet price point,” she says.

Grande designed everything she wanted in a tote bag into Etoile. For instance, the unusual leather top can be zipped shut or tucked flat against inside—a closure so clever it’s patented. In addition, the zipper is separated so you can open the top wider. And every bag comes with a detachable zip pouch that can be snapped onto the leather strap and worn as a crossbody bag.

All of the totes are beautifully lined with Italian suede dyed to match the exterior, and there are a couple of optional novelty straps, including a fun fringed one. While nylon and leather bags are Etoile's foundation, Grande also offers a gorgeous green and blue python tote with a matching python pouch for $995.

The brand’s signature is a gold foil star stamped onto the bag and the strap.

Étoile bags are intentionally manufactured in Los Angeles and New York City.

“It’s more expensive to make them in America, but it’s an important part of our message,” Grande notes.

Find the new Etoile store on the first level near Nordstrom between Cole Haan and ebar by Nordstrom.