In the old (old) days, the only accoutrement a properly attired woman needed was a pair of gloves, a little hat, and a suitable handbag just large enough to hold her lipstick and her checkbook (her husband had the car keys). Nowadays, the properly attired woman also needs a bag for her laptop.

Can a good laptop bag BE the Holy Grail?

Finding a bag for my laptop always seemed to end in ignominy for me: the bags were bulky, black, leather, and rather severe in their “I am a bag for a very expensive piece of technology that has more processing power than the computers that sent the men to the moon” kind of styling. Oh, how I longed for a laptop bag that looked feminine but professional, did not come from the Geek Department, and provided actual protection for my portable computer. I wanted a woman’s laptop bag. A grown up, mature, adult woman’s laptop bag. Not one made of recycled vinyl tablecloths, or with Pretty Kitty on it, or one made from the same material bike courier bags are made from. Stylish, functional, and adult, that’s what I wanted in my bag, and I was beginning to despair of ever finding such a thing.

I am delighted to say I have found the fabled bag in the Moonsus line.

Moonsus is a Canadian designer handbag company that focuses on the professional woman. They offer full line of executive handbags, including notebook cases, laptop bags, portfolio cases, computer backpacks, and fabric/leather briefcases. I had the great good fortune to receive two for review, and just love them.

Greta Garbo would've had one of these (if they had computers back then)

The Elixir Slim Attaché in Golden Brown is as executive and professional as I could ever hope to get.

Reminiscent of English saddles (as in horses), it has the Moonsus signature Jaquard cloth on the outside and a striped satin lining on the inside, both of which are stain resistant and can be wiped with a damp cloth The heavy duty zipper means it won’t unzip or dezip (a made-up word for when the zip is zapped and the teeth no longer interconnect). What else? Oh yes, it’s beautiful.

I should ‘fess up and say that initially, I thought Moonsus made only laptop bags (blame that on the Managing Editor), and so my first experience with the Elixir Slim was that it’s just the tiniest bit small for my few-years-old laptop (a Dell C600). It’s not that the laptop is too big, it’s that the damnable “brick” in the middle of the power cord creates a bulge in the bag and makes you worry (it’s to convert AC to DC, in case you’ve ever wondered. Damn and blast that Edison and that Tesla!). If you have a slimmer, newer laptop, I’m sure you could stylishly stash it in this bag, but the ladies at Moonsus wish to point out that the Elixir is actually designed for carrying documents, not laptops. It wasn't built with the laptop compartment like the actual laptop bag, so they do not recommend using it carry a laptop since it doesn't have the necessary protection (i.e., padding). 

However, their Signature Computer Bag is a laptop bag. It is elegance and functionality writ large, and let me tell you that it is impossible to “shlep” your laptop with this bag.

The Signature Computer Bag, like the Elixir Slim Attaché, is sided in high-quality cloth, and comes in three colors, Black, Golden Brown, and Khaki. The Black is beautiful, possibly because it is not leather and therefore has a different quality about it.

It is considerably wider (deeper?) than the Attaché, and has no problem storing my laptop, it’s brick, my cell phone, the Wall Street Journal, the technical documentation I’m writing for a client, my checkbook, a bunch of pens, a packet of cleaning wipes (maybe for me, maybe for my laptop) and possibly a pair of nice flannel pajamas for when you’ve got an overnight business trip to Cleveland for a presentation tomorrow. I’m sure it has no problem with silk nighties either.

Keep Osteoporosis at Bay, Carry a Big Laptop

I just have one caveat, which does not apply to everyone, only to those of us who are slightly out-of-date technically: these bags, being so sturdy, weigh between 2.6 and 3.9 pounds, so if you’ve got a 7 or 8 pound laptop, you’re looking at close to 10 pounds of, stuff. I don’t think you’d notice it if you have one of those 3-pound models, but you will with the heavier ones. I could be saying this because I don’t normally carry a pocketbook, so I might not be used to weight in that area (I keep my kitchen sink in the kitchen, if you know what I mean).

Are you Quacking Like a (Professional) Duck Yet?

If you long to be taken seriously, if you believe a laptop is an integral part of your professional world, if you want to think of yourself as a stylish, pulled-together woman, go find yourself a Moonsus bag. And then put away the sneakers and start wearing “big girl” shoes.

NOTE TO MANKIND: Moonsus just come out with a men’s line, Marsus, so you, too, can look like a grown up.

Moonsus business card cases to computer bags: $32 - $320 (US)

Moonsus

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