NICE ‘N’ ORGANIZED
The bulky, black laptop bags of the past don’t cut it anymore for female road warriors. They want something that makes a fashion statement -- or at least reflects their tastes. The travel accessories industry has obliged: Each new season brings a broader selection of colors, shapes and styles. “Women’s bags -- many designed by women, for women -- resemble high-end fashion accessories,†says Michele Marini Pittenger, president of the Travel Goods Assn. “We’re seeing bright, playful tones, including pastels and polka dots, along with the more serious, businesslike colors.†Six female members of The Times staff teamed up to test some new models. Here’s what they thought.
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First look: The Kameleon Convertible is stylishly mod -- and practical -- for a laptop bag. It comes in three-toned colors, olive, beige and yellow-green, with some leather trims. It’s lightweight and versatile: It can be carried as a backpack to free your hands, over the shoulder like a messenger bag and by short handles like a briefcase. It comes with a 12-month warranty.
Likes and yikes: If you love compartments to stash stuff, this one’s for you. It is an organizer’s dream -- with more than a dozen pockets, including a padded Velcro-fastened laptop pocket and others of varying sizes and depths to hide PDAs, BlackBerry, iPods, cellphones and folders. One side zips down to create a work surface to prop up a laptop. Its slim, boxy design turned heads in the office, but once I got my 12-inch laptop inside, I didn’t have much room left for the odds and ends you haul aboard a plane.
411: $86 at UpTown Bella, San Ramon, Calif.; www.uptownbella.com. Also at Amazon.com.
