LaLa Laptop Bag

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

August 18, 2005

Is there a law somewhere that says that all laptop bags have to look like laptop bags? You know what I'm talking about, they tend to be black, boring, made for men and as far away from making a fashion statement as humanly possible. I guess this is my cue to tell you that when it comes to actually having a fashion sense, I'm not all that qualified. My idea of dressing up is to wear dark blue jeans instead of faded ones ;o) All joking aside, Judie is probably more qualified to review girly girl things than I am, but that didn't stop me from taking on a review of the Signature Paris Bag from La La Laptop. Sorry guys, this is a laptop bag for women. You have my permission for your eyes to glaze over.

Made of Ostrich embossed leather and available in 6 color combinations, I was sent the Lime Green / Black Combo with Lime Green lining. My first impression upon opening the box and seeing this bag was WOW. The color / style caught my attention first, then my sense of smell kicked in and I said ahhhhhhhhhh as I sniffed that great quality leather aroma.

Measuring approximately 18Lx5Wx12H and weighing in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (on my electronic scales) with the detachable shoulder strap connected, this bag already starts out on the hefty side before adding even one piece of gear.

As far as styling, the LaLa Laptop bag seems to have quite possibly been inspired by such famous designers / brands as Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, and COACH. For those of you that are wondering, no, I didn't come up with those references on my own, Judie helped me out... She pointed me to different online stores carrying their bags and I definitely saw similarities with this bag.

Ok, enough about other bags, let's focus on this one with a tour of its features. First of all, it's made entirely of leather (except for the satin-like material lining used in the interior). It looks and feels like a high quality leather product. On the front (I'm guessing it's the front...), there is a business / credit card holder for 4 cards. I don't think anyone would use these slots for their credit cards, and I wouldn't even use them for business cards, since the slots are not protected from the rain. Below the card holder is a magnetic snap 3Lx1.5Wx4.25H compartment that is large enough for items like small mobile phones, an iPod, rolled up cables, AC adapter, etc. There is a matching compartment on the opposite side of the bag face. A tiny faux pocket is sewn on the outside of these compartments. In the upper right corner of the bag front there is a zippered 3Lx1.25Wx2.5H square compartment. Next to it is a metal loop that you can use to clip your keys.

The most unique feature on the front of the bag is the detachable clutch purse. Connected by a spring loaded clip and 2 magnets, this little zippered purse is 8.5Lx4.5W in size. A slide in hand strap is located under the magnetic flap. This little purse can't hold much gear. It just has one zippered pocket, but is a nice accessory to take with you to lunch when you don't want to carry the entire bag with you.

I would like to see this little clutch purse a bit larger and to be connected INSIDE the bag instead of on the outside. Even with the clip and 2 magnets, it just feels a bit scary to have your billfold hanging on the outside of your bag like that.

The back of the bag has a large two magnet flapped pocket, that is spacious enough to hold a standard sized magazine. on the outside of that pocket are 2 4Lx1.5Wx4.5H compartments that are held closed with one magnetic snap.

The left side of the bag has a hefty metal attachment point for the included black leather adjustable shoulder strap.

The right side has a matching attachment point as well as a deep 3Wx8.5H pocket under the belt buckle.

On the bottom of the bag there are 6 metal button feet that allow the bag to stand up on a flat surface. This is a big deal to me, I hate having a gear bag that doesn't want to sit upright.

Ok, now let's take a look at the interior of this bag.

The main compartment is accessed by unzipping 2 zippers. All the zippers used in this bag have thick chunky pulls. The zippers themselves could be a little smoother. It might just be that they need to be broken in though...

After you unzip the main area, you will see that it is divided into two large sections. The section to the front of the bag is a padded pocket for your laptop. In the picture above, you will notice that I have my laptop in a sleeve. The laptop area can accommodate a computer approximately 17 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep. A wide Velcro strip secures the laptop pocket. On the back wall of the bag, there is a zippered pocket with a smaller open pocket (my Treo 650 is pictured in this pocket), 3 pen pockets and a removable small zippered pouch.

Besides the detactable leather shoulder strap, this bag has 2 non-detachable straps. Using both kinda gets in the way as the permanent straps just flop around. In my opinion, two sets of straps is one too many. Either make the permanent ones longer, or just use the shoulder strap.

For reference, I am 5'5"

If you like to wear a bag under your arm like the picture above, the pockets on the outside of the bag may get in your way. Also, if you have your laptop in the bag while carrying it in this manner, it is going to feel really heavy.

Carrying the bag in this manner is more comfortable to me, but the extra set of straps tend to get in my way.

Like I said before, I'm no expert when it comes to style. But, I think I know what makes a good gear bag. The LaLa Laptop bag has some things going for it, and some things that could use some improvements. The good points are that it is made really well and has a lot of storage options. The things that could stand improving are the straps, and locations of some of the pockets. I think a better location for the clutch purse and business card slots would be the interior of the bag. I guess I should also mention the price. This bag isn't cheap. But if you want to be fashionable, you should already be used to that caveat. All that said, I'll be anxious to see the next version of the LaLa Laptop bag.

Price: $455.00 (as reviewed)

Pros:
Stylish
Lots of storage
Removable clutch purse

Cons:
Heavy
2 sets of shoulder straps
Spendy