I work for myself, which means that instead of having an office or one central desk, I work from multiple locations. It also means that I have a laptop instead of a desktop, an iPad instead of a Filofax, an iPhone in my hands at all times, and a moleskin for serious brainstorming. Essentially, I carry my desk around with me in a bag. This can prove to be incredibly stressful. (If you've done it, you know!)
Finding a quality laptop bag is hard, and call me fussy, but I don't particularly like carrying around a bag that looks like a standard laptop bag. I also don't want to have to spend £800 or more on a handbag that doubles as laptop bag for the sake of it being designer. Usually I'd just throw my laptop, charger, iPad and journal into a flimsy tote bag, with my handbag stuffed full of everything else I'd for the day, which was hardly comfortable.
This is precisely why the Knomo Lola bag has changed my working life.
Now, I will be the first to say that when people act like a handbag could change their life I want to smack them in the face. But for anyone that has struggled carrying a laptop bag and a handbag (plus anything else they pick up along the way) on sweaty, packed trains - finding a bag that functions as a laptop and a handbag is a lifesaver. Nothing is worse than lugging multiple, heavy bags around, and using a bag like Lola to consolidate your items is a must.
Meet Lola
The Knomo Lola bag fits up to a 15" laptop, and is made from either pebble-leather or quilted nylon, with shiny, gold hardware. Its main compartment has a quilted laptop pouch with shockproof protection, and has a number of internal pouches and zipped compartments.
It also has an external, zipped compartment for all your essentials, such as your wallet, keys and phone so you don't have to rummage through the depths of your bag every time you buy something or desperately need to Instagram something super important - like a dog in a sweater.There's also the perfect little hiding place for your Oyster card or train ticket, which I absolutely love.
This bag is large while still being a reasonable size, and it's perfect for those of us who prefer over-the-should bags. The leather straps are thick and incredibly comfortable, and they don't slip off your shoulder as you walk, which is always a huge annoyance I have with other bags. Plus, the bag just looks nice, so it easily matches your wardrobe no matter what you're wearing, especially if you go with the black leather bag.
Essentially, the Lola bag is a luxurious handbag that just happens to accommodate your laptop, iPad and other gadgets you carry around, which is really what most women want from laptop bags. They should simply be lifestyle bags that are both fashionable and functional, and Knomo have achieved exactly that with Lola.
The Knomo Lola bag is available in both leather and durable nylon quilting in a variety of colours. You can check out more over on knomobags.com or follow them on Twitter as @knomo.
Images © Cate Sevilla for BitchBuzz