Chic bag for my laptop and books

April 6, 2014 4:14 PM

I've been carrying what is a Kenneth Cole Weekender bag for my schoolbooks and laptops. It's not really good at supporting all the weight. What are some chic looking alternatives that can handle the weight of a few notebooks and a somewhat large-ish Toshiba laptop that won't kill my arm but look pretty killer. Nothing frumpy please!

And something more Kate Middleton than Snookie, please.

posted by discopolo to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Response by poster: Well, I mean, Snookie pre-baby, that is. Kim Kardashian is okay. Nothing animal skin print though or Gucci.
posted by discopolo at 4:37 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

Dagne Dover (currently sold out)
Lo and Sons
posted by acidic at 5:23 PM on April 6, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Etsy is your friend. Here is the bag I got to hold a crapton of student papers, books and a 13" macbook pro. Mine was the largest version and Hermes orange. He has other bags that you may like but I was very pleased with mine.
posted by jadepearl at 5:32 PM on April 6, 2014 [2 favorites]

I literally just bought the Turin bag from Tumi. Pricey - but fits my lenovo think pad with 17 inch monitor, ac adapter, wallet, keys, phone, and a light change of clothes. I love it. My only complaint is that the provided laptop sleeve did not for my laptop (it's edges are rounded to better fit a Mac , otherwise it would fit fine). It has a full year warranty in case anything isn't working out for you and a partial 2 year warranty (like if a handle breaks off). I love mine so far.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 6:25 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

I have an Alesya bag in black, which is great and easily holds my 15" MBP, an iPad, and 1-2 binders at a time and doesn't obviously look like a laptop bag from afar. It's also held up very well -- I've used mine 24/7 for the past year -- and many of the other color variations are also quite chic (I went with black because I don't like color coordinating my bags, but have actually been thinking about getting another!) I think there is a pending redesign this fall to be lighter, but in general I've been really pleased with the quality and haven't found them overly heavy.
posted by angst at 6:48 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

Leather gets you the style you want, but the combined weight of the bag and everything else in it may kill your arm. I've suggested Lo and Sons before for how lightweight, functional and good-looking it is, so I'm seconding acidic's suggestion above... though I'm not sure whether its simplicity and minimalism may fall more on the side of stylish road warrior than student-chic for you.
posted by hellopanda at 7:13 AM on April 7, 2014