Two companies, San Francisco's Acme Made and E. Orange, New Jersey's Casauri are leading the way when it comes to producing high quality, high fashion laptop bags. At the risk of generalizing or stereotyping, these bags will probably appeal mainly to women. One look at Casauri's website makes it pretty clear that women are their target consumers (Casauri is run by a team of two sisters, in fact).

So in the interest of providing you, fair reader, with the best review possible, I consulted with my two favorite women: My Mom and My Girlfriend. Before getting to their comments, let me say that both review bags are impeccably well crafted and worthy of transporting your PowerBook or iBook wherever you need to take it. I would recommend a bag from Acme Made or Casauri to anyone who likes their looks, man or woman. Both companies offer a variety of sizes, fabrics, and colors, and Casauri offers larger bags (with extra storage pockets) than the one reviewed here. Acme Made offers a lifetime warranty on all of their bags (Casauri's website doesn't specify). But enough out of me already ...

Casauri Omni Envelope Medium ("Kiwi") -- $52, www.casauri.com

Casauri makes a full range of laptop and PDA bags constructed from refined nylon and quilted and smooth PVC, and finished in pretty Pantone colors. The Omni Envelope is their newest, and most minimalist offering. The Omni Envelope Medium is sized to fit 14" and 15" laptops, and a new model fits the 17" PowerBook series. As Casauri's Emily McHugh put it, "It is our most stream-lined case so far and has done extremely well. The Envelope is designed to hold just the computer and an adapter in the external pocket.Ê This case is great for 12" laptops as well. It's for people who don't want to carry too much, just the basics."

My girlfriend, a teacher by day and graduate student by night, really likes this one. "It's slim and sleek," she said. "The outside zipper pocket is just the right size to carry a folder of papers or a magazine or small book, but the whole thing is small and cool enough that I can wear it without being embarassed." The Omni is made from water resistant nylon with a padded interior that's lined in grey. It also features webbed nylon handles a removable shoulder strap which she commented on. "The bag is really comfy and the shoulder strap is nice and padded," she said approvingly. "I like that you can remove it and carry the bag by the handles, too, and the buckles are really strong without being ugly."

"An extra pocket or divider in the main section would be nice for carrying extra books and papers, or pens and pencils," she said, examining the bag more closely and slipping it on over her shoulder. When I pointed out that Casauri offers a full range of bags in various sizes and pocket configurations, she smiled and said, "but this is a really nice grab it and go kind of bag. It's so cute ... even the zipper pulls look cool!"

The one thing my better half didn't like about the Omni was the clear ID tag slot on the back. "I don't like this so much," she frowned. "I don't want anyone being able to look at my bag and see what my name is and where I live work work. I'd never use this."

"What about if you're taking the bag on an airplane?" I asked, knowing that she's already bought her tickets to fly home to see her parents next month.

"Then you attach a normal luggage tag to the handles. I mean, I live in New York City; I really don't want anyone knowing who I am unless I tell them." Fair point.

The Omni Envelope comes in in pink, kiwi, red, and navy -- and in a large size ($58) that fits 16" and 17" laptops -- and is available along with the rest of Casauri's cases and bags (some of which don't have ID tag slots) at the Casauri Shop.

Acme Made Designer Slim 15 ("Green Dots") -- $149.99, www.acmemade.com


Boxy and classic where the Casauri is streamlined and now, Acme Made's Slim series laptop bags "maintain a high standard of protection utilizing closed cell foam, high impact plastic, "Splash-proof" zippers and a quilted lining all encased in a water-resistant, ballistic nylon shell or our designer textiles."

The Designer Slim bag Acme sent me was finished in the Eames-inspired Green Dots pattern made from cotton/polester blend with "a Teflon finish that is designed to withstand over 63,000 'double rubs.'" In other words, this bag should look just as classy after bumping up against many a desk, car seat, and stranger's arm as it does now. And believe me, it's a very classy-looking bag.

Likely to be taken for a handbook or briefcase instead of a laptop bag, the Designer Slim features leather wrapped handles, sturdy black anodized nickel zippers and buckles, and a boxy shape that comes courtesy of that plastic/foam interior. While my girlfriend didn't like this one so much ("It's really nice, but just not my style"), my Mom loved it.

"This is so cool!" she exclaimed upon picking the bag up. "It's so much lighter than the bag school gave me." My Mom teaches Nurse Practitioning at a university, and was given a laptop in an ugly, standard-issue bag by their IT department. "It's like a notebook," she added, commenting on the semi-rigid, boxy construction. "It feels sturdy -- much sturdier than [the Casauri] and the inside is so nice. It's so much smaller than the one I have now, but it's still got some room for a journal or some papers. And the shoulder strap is nice and long, too."

The shoulder strap on the Acme isn't padded, which accentuates the look but also gives me pause regarding my Mom's already over-taxed neck and shoulder muscles. For $150, Acme Made should supply an elegant shoulder pad along with the removable shoulder strap. That's me talking, not my mom.

Acme Made offers Slim bags to fit 12", 14", 15", and 17" laptops, and in a wide variety of colors and patterns in both the regular (nylon) and Designer (textile) outer fabrics. Prices start at $79.99 for the Slim 12 and range up to $159.99 for the limited edition Designer 17. All of the bags are available direct from the Acme Made Website.