finding a cute laptop bag that's not made for a boy

For a couple of months, I've been on the hunt for an acceptable laptop bag. My old version, purchased on impulse (by need!) from TJ Maxx was made of vinyl and started to show its cheapness. And one of the straps eventually split in two. Klassy. And don't get me started on the bag that came with my work laptop from Dell. Seriously? A dorky male wouldn't even be caught with that thing. Not to mention that it lacks a shoulder strap, making it hard to carry. Ick.

My qualifications? Black leather, big enough to hold my 15.4" laptop, and preferrably in a tote style. I started my search with Coach, because they specialize in leather goods and I wanted a basic leather bag. Easy, right? Nope. Nothing good. Next, onto Levenger. I have a portfolio with my initials from them that looks fabulous and surely, they have basic leather bags, right?! Eh. Nothing that stood out.

So the search was on. If you're looking for a nice bag, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It might take you awhile to get there - but there are places out there that sell nice, cute bags. They just don't pop up in a Google search easily! Here are a few I found that I thought I'd share:

Theresa Kathryn

They look like purses but are laptop friendly. The pricetags are a little steep, but I'm sure the quality backs it up. Many of them are made of leather.

Kerri Mack

These bags are trendy but still good for work, depending on your profession. They're available at Best Buy and other mass retailers. Some of them are a bit Kathy Von Zeeland-esque, which is not my style. None were made of leather that I looked at closely.

Careerbags.com

This site has a variety of designers that run the gamut from PVC to leather with a wide variety of prices. Great place to start your search.

Coakley

These bags are made by a woman-owned company (woo woo!) and there is obviously a ton of thought put into them. I especially like the feature in some of the bags that open on the bag to stick over your roller-bag handle (visit the site for photos - great idea!). But sadly, the main fabric is not leather (trim only) so I had to keep looking. But Coakley was my second choice.

1154 LILL
These bags met none of my criteria but they're cute as a button. Sadly, their bags big enough for a laptop don't have a built in sleeve, which was something I really needed. And no leather. But so cute!

FranklinCovey

You've probably heard this name before, and it makes you think of boring businessmen and day planners. At least, it does for me. The husband and I visited the store in the mall and I found this beauty:

CUTE BLACK LEATHER BAG THAT HOLDS MY LAPTOP?! AND ISN'T UGLY?! SCORE!!! It does lack a full tote strap, but has a longer handle and a shoulder strap. I thought about it but the husband convinced me that I should buy it and return it if I changed my mind. So I did. When I got home, being the smart shopper that I am, I checked the website to see if there were any sales or coupon codes to make it less expensive.

And there were! Gah! So I bought it AGAIN (clicking through Ebates to get my 6% cash back, thankyouverymuch) and will end up paying $15ish dollars less, not including the cash back. The 'regular price' in the store was $220 and online it's $199, go figure. I understand when things are priced differently online than in-store but when the regular price is different, that's kind of strange.

So my laptop search is over and I'm sure the husband is glad I'm not complaining about it anymore. Who would have thought a good laptop bag would be so hard to find?!