Original Leather Postal Messenger
You know how the postman in old movies always has a well-worn, great-looking leather mail bag? Well, it's not just fiction. From 1868 until the '70s, the USPS carried oil-tanned mailbags, which have been faithfully reproduced in J. Crew's "Original" Leather Postal Messenger ($800). This gorgeous bag is hand-oiled, stained, and burnished, sewn by artisans on century-old machines from hand-picked leather. Just like the old USPS bags, it's made to last for years, and is large enough to hold a smallish laptop, a book or two, and yes, even the mail.