Laptop Bags - The New Fashion Accessory?

It might not seem like it to some of us but the office can be one of the most stylish workplaces possible. If you look on any major designer’s website you’ll find a formal section displaying items you could certainly get away with wearing to a Monday morning meeting; if only you could afford them. Now even computers are becoming inextricably linked to the catwalk and laptop bags aren’t just super padded black briefcases anymore. In fact, you can carry your laptop in sleeves, briefcases, rucksacks, hard cases, pilot cases, trolley bags, shoulder bags and messenger bags too.

Take the Radley kaleidoscope bag for example. Now Radley are an American company who have only recently brought their ranges over to the UK so we’re seeing several new lines of handbags, huge bags for mothers and babies, rucksacks, luggage and laptop bags. This particular one is made from deep brown leather, with a blue flower/kaleidoscope design and the signature Radley Scotty dog tag. It’s got two different types of handles (one for the shoulder, one for the hands) and several internal compartments so you can still get paperwork in there too. Co workers would probably actually be surprised to see a laptop appear out of something this stylish.

Now of course Radley make bags designed for women, and there are plenty of men with laptops who are looking for a slightly more stylish or customised way of carrying their beloved around too. This is where the messenger bags adorned with images of PacMan or the classic NES controller come in. Yes, they might scream geek but that’s kind of a good thing nowadays.
If those are a bit outlandish and you’re just looking for sophistication then look to the Pellevera tan leather San Guiliano briefcase. It might be on the higher end of the price range at £179 but it is well worth it for the real Italian leather, three large compartments, mini pockets for mobile phones, PDA’s etc., leather straps, protector feet and compartments for paperwork too.

Taking it one step further are the customised sleeves that companies like ‘Wrappers’ offer. Not only are they cheap (prices starting at around £15) but they offer features like fire retardant and machine washable material and they’re also great looking. There are corduroy, initialled linen or cow print style suede sleeves for the Mac Book range amongst many others and we think that as well as protecting the notebook and making it look good, it’ll probably hide it out of the view of people who might steal it too. For instance if you’ve got an open laptop bag then putting a sleeve over the gently pulsing and deeply tempting power light is probably going to do some good.

So have a look around before you’re too quick to dismiss a beautiful or suave looking laptop bag. They don’t all have to be black with zips, straps and padded compartments and even the leather ones don’t compromise on practicality. You paid extra for the good looking technology so why not pay a little more for the outfit it wears?