Why are there no decent women's bags that can take a laptop?

[OakPine]

I'm looking for a stylish bag to take to work.
It needs to hold a laptop, packed lunch, water bottle, and various other small things.

I don't want a rucksack or a nylon messenger bag. I want a big handbag that just happens to hold a laptop. I don't want anything that looks like a laptop bag.

Can anyone help please? What do you use now that you are back at work?
Thanks

Another vote for Longchamp's Le Pilage

Make sure you get the one with the longer handles so they can go over the shoulder. Or the rucksack version

I had the same quest a while ago OP. I settled on an oversized tote in the end as all the backpacks were just so fugly I couldn’t bring myself to invest in one and/or they weren’t big enough.

@DarlingCoffee which tote did you buy, if you don’t mind sharing please?

@JingsMahBucket of course, I looked at many many bags including some very expensive NAP ones but in the end I went for this one from Zara of all places.

www.zara.com/uk/en/soft-tote-bag-with-pockets-p16065810.html

I forever had the same issue OP and decided to go to a big department store with the stuff I wanted to carry in it and tried out a load I liked. Ended up with a £££ Prada bag but simply style that won't ever date. Has been worth every penny!

Thanks all. Lots of lovely suggestions.

I'm going to get one of the tote style. I find rucksacks/messengers uncomfortable, so the tote with long straps is best for me.

I have this but got it a bit cheaper in the post Christmas sale. It fits a laptop but you might struggle with a packed lunch and water bottle too. I love it.

www.esinakan.com/collections/womens-leather-laptop-bags/products/wimbledon-black-nylon-backpack-tote

Got mine off Amazon, pretty cheap but I’ve had it for over 6 months with daily use and still holding strong. Padded compartment for laptop to offer extra protection. A zip compartment for paperwork and two big compartments either side for extra bits. Also little sections on the side for pens and phone etc.

Which size of Le Pliage please? Medium or large? Thanks

I have a Michael Kors tote bag, it has a laptop compartment in it plus a zip across the top. Still looks great after almost 2 years of daily use

Just a note to be careful about the weight of a laptop in a normal handbag on one shoulder - I carried my laptop plus all the usual work and handbag stuff in a Modalu Pippa daily for years and it did real damage to my shoulder and neck!! I now have to carry one of the smaller Knomo backpacks when I have to commute.

Nkomo, longchamp, osprey all have ones that might suit.

I got this ECOSUSI Laptop Satchel Backpack... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RMT7KTR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Piquadro. Do some beautiful laptop bags, They are expensive but they last for years, and I jam pack mine and it still holds up.

www.piquadro.com

The Mia Tui bags are great with compartments for water bottle etc

Not sure of your budget but I have one of these which came from a recommendation here on MN. I’d never heard of them and I love the bag, it’s got room for everything and the quality is amazing and it looks so good.

www.alderstyle.com/shop-leather-laptop-bags

I have this from Fossil. The hardware etc has been slightly updated since I bought mine, but dimensions and strap etc are the same. Fits my MacBook, lunch and other odds and ends in and has the option to be worn cross body or carried in your hand. What’s more I’ve had it 11yrs and it still looks lovely, I give a leather a going over a couple of times a year with Clark’s leather-buffer stuff. Not the cheapest but I’ve found Fossil leather bags to be hard wearing.

@Xiaoxiong

Just a note to be careful about the weight of a laptop in a normal handbag on one shoulder - I carried my laptop plus all the usual work and handbag stuff in a Modalu Pippa daily for years and it did real damage to my shoulder and neck!! I now have to carry one of the smaller Knomo backpacks when I have to commute.

I agree with this. A backpack is the only way I can carry everything, I need to spread the weight evenly across my shoulders.

I use a simple black unisex backpack, with a padded sleeve for the laptop. I'd have a stoop if I tried to persist with everything on one shoulder or arm.

Lawful London do nice ones

I agree with the weight distribution issues with heavy tote shoulder bags in general, but I only carry mine from the car park into the office and back again - if I was commuting by train or walking, I’d need a different solution.

I got one from Amazon after reading a million reviews. I wanted leather with a central divider pocket (and as many other pockets as possible). Big enough for a laptop and all other gubbins. Plus it had to have a zip closing the main compartments for theft protection (really annoys me how many totes have open compartments). This one has worked really well for me, has lots of room, I love the colour, the handles are long enough to wear over shoulder (it has a long strap to but I don't use it). The one niggle is it doesn't have a padded laptop compartment, but I bought a padded sleeve for mine and that works just as well. Oh and it is a bit on the heavy side being leather and big, but i don't find it horrendously so

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072R21GNZ/?psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&coliid=I2AAL2UMBMQJ7R&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&colid=2R9NAFONX0I06

I use Mia Tui Sarah miatui.com/products/sarah-laptop-bag
but they have more handbaggy looking bags that will take a laptop - such as Eleanor or Mini Jen …

How about this one by Kate Spade, OP?

https://www.katespade.co.uk/en-gb/handbags/spencer-dome-universal-laptop-bag/8AR00009.html?dwcolor=SERENE-PINK#start=1&page=1

I just looked at it in store, and it was lovely, but annoyingly just fractionally too small for my massive old chunky 15.6" laptop

Plus there is £50 off at the moment.

It might be worth looking at baby bags! Some of them are quite stylish and have lots of pockets/compartments.