Wednesday, March 20, 2013

how to carry a laptop with (mid-century) style

Have you found any graceful and stylish way to transport your computer? You know, something a little mid-century modern. Like this?

mid-century modern handbag
Mid-Century Holzman bag from Etsy shop DejavuVintageretro

Or maybe like this...


mid-century modern handbag
1950s Majestic Box Purse from Etsy LuminousLadyVintage

Yea. Me neither.

Computers are bulky and unattractive. And most bags built for computers are similarly bulky and unattractive. When I thought I was a big-time professional career girl, I got this Grade A standard issue consultant Tumi bag and used it for YEARS.
Tumi Alpha. Get it? "Alpha."

At some point, I abandoned the Tumi bag for backpacks. Backpacks are handy, and you can stuff a lot of crap in them. They are comfortable to carry. And they transport onto planes easily, with even more crap smashed inside. But I find they look, well, a little collegiate.


And collegiate doesn't suit me. At all. Plus I over stuff my backpack and find myself hauling all kinds of unnecessary items around work and onto planes.

Additionally, I work in a really large corporate campus environment and frequently walk around from meeting to meeting. I can cover a few miles in a day. My pathetic over-stuffed backpack makes me look a little frumpy.

And annually, I do treat myself to a new bag. For several years, a post has stuck in my mind by one of my favorite bloggers, Penelope Trunk, called "How to Pitch a Blogger." Recently I went back and looked it up. Sometime in the summer of 2011, Aleysa sent Penelope a computer bag. I remembered that it looked good. We all know what happens next. I am so predictable.

If you unwrap a package on the dining room table, expect some help.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/
Jack and Annie help out.

The packaging is so pretty.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/

And a lovely little card. Alesya Bags.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/


More unwrapping.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/


All is revealed.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/


Computer slips right in. 15" laptop. Don't mock the well worn ThinkPad. Work pays for it.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/

Stylish.
Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/


Much better.

Alesya Bags, http://www.alesyabags.com/


Official Review

Like
  • Silver color is cool.
  • Laptop pouch is plenty roomy for 15" machine.
  • Zipper compartment on top provides easy access to keys, phone.
  • Leather feels rich.
  • Not too big.
  • Wide strap is comfortable on my shoulder.
  • Dragged it all over work today. Stuff pulled in and out easily. 
  • Perfect for my around the work campus bag. In and out of the car.

Things to Consider (and counter points) 
  • Leather vs. the nylon backpack material is surprisingly heavy. I work out. 
  • No water bottle pocket.  God gave me two hands.
  • My lunch doesn't actually fit in the bag either. But it fits in my oversize purse.
  • A 13" computer would work better. I am ordering one tomorrow.
  • I wish I didn't carry around 8 1/2" by 11" wire bound notebooks. What the hell, I'll go totally digital.
  • Could I really take this on a business trip? I will try. Honestly, I carry around too much stuff.
So Alesya's strategy of sending bags to big-time bloggers worked. She got her bag on a big-time blog. She sold a bag to me (and hopefully others). And then I wrote about it.


 We hope Alesya is doing well.

13 comments:

  1. I am a sucker for a bag - and I also like a wide one strap shoulder bag too. This one looks like it will work nicely for you. Thumbs up! : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is it about bags and women? Always the quest.

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  2. I, too, travel a lot for work and schlep my laptop through airports and airplanes on a regular basis. I've been through the Tumis, the backpacks--your post hit really home for me. I'm currently sporting a Timbuk2 messenger bag which is sporty, practical but in my corporate environment doesn't say "polished". I'm convinced that there has to be a better way and it's call my iPad. My goal is to ditch the laptop for the iPad (at least for traveling purposes) in the not so distant future:-)

    BTW...the Alysa bag is really pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it pretty? So you feel my pain? I am in total agreement with you. I have an "original" iPad but it has become kind of non-functional lately. My problem is I have found blog work very difficult from an iPad. I think iPads are excellent for content consumption but I, personally, and not that great at content creation on an iPad.

      Delete
  3. Cool. You'd hardly guess there was a laptop on board (almost hardly).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And if I get an even smaller laptop, who would know at all?

      Delete
  4. VERY stylish! Computer bags and totes are seriously lacking in style in my opinion. This is wonderful and I love the silver. I had a silver purse years ago and carried it around until it fell apart. It looked almost exactly like this one. Silver goes with EVERYTHING. LOVE this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Silver is a MOST excellent bag color for sure. I am going to give it a good hard try. If I downsize, then I can be stylish.

      Delete
  5. Love the bag! It looks so much more like a purse than a laptop tote. I know what you mean about some types of leather weighing a ton though. I have a black Michael Kors bag that is unbelievably heavy, even empty. I bought it because I could fit my laptop into it, but it doesn't have a shoulder strap, so I finally abandoned the idea of putting the computer in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This little bad boy is fairly heavy but the wide strap is really comfortable.

      Delete
  6. It looks like a very stylish purse! Love the color, too! I'm pretty much a Tumi girl and I am not a big bag carrier - but for a laptop, I like it and I think I would use it! A definite positive is that no one would know you were carrying a laptop in it and would be less likely to steal it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've been on the same unfortunate "bag journey" and yes, have currently reverted to using my trusty old NorthFace backpack. My office environment is fairly casual, but, as someone who looks like I could still be IN college (both a blessing and a curse), I've figured I need to up the professional-factor a bit.

    Could I ask what the dimensions/what model your 15" ThinkPad is/was? I know the site says it holds a 15" computer. I have an HP EliteBook 8440p, which comes in at (HxWxD) 1.23 in (at front) x 13.21 in x 9.3 in, and am thinking this would be VERY close. Am really hoping to make this bag work for me though!

    Thanks for your great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome! I am so sorry, I don't know the dimensions of the 15" laptop because it is gone. It did fit in the bag, and was a Lenovo Thinkpad if that helps.

      Delete

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