i found an interim substitute for my laptop tote conundrum. My sis recently made a business trip to Singapore and I asked her to check out the retail price of the Lexie tote that I've been coveting at the LeSportsac store. The sales people just looked at her like, in her own words, she was mad, instead kept prodding her on towards the technophile section and after two boutiques and a department store she was fed up off being looked at as if she was off her rocker. I would have figured that Singapore was up on the trends since they are supposed to be at the helm of all things trendy in Southeastasia but I was wrong. And seriously, to not even know the products offered by the brand you work for is a retail sin I tell ya!
But putting aside the thoroughly miserable state of LeSportsac in Singapore, it made me realize that purchasing the Lexie tote might take some time. Time my Botkier does not have, I know if I keep up this much abuse on its poor straps it will say enough is enough and soon from the looks of it. *Sigh*. My netbook is less than 2 lbs but it's still a bit much for my Botkier to handle. And I know some people think that I shouldn't be so hung up over a satchel that came from Target but I just adore the design, the feel, the everything of this bag and to have it break on me would cause the lil place in my heart, reserved for all things material that have found a place for itself in there, to break as well.
So, as I'm trawling the Internet, searching high and low for the perfect Lexie tote (perfect = design I like + price comparable to retail + reasonable delivery cost), looking at the images of LeSportsac bags over and over at sites like Like.com and ebags.com, I spot the LeSportsac Dana tote (it's just a normal shopping tote I think) and can't help feel a sense of familiarity. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why the Dana looks like one of my own and it's then I realize that I have a similarly shaped large tote that I bought last year but only used once. It's shaped exactly like the Dana. The exterior is a quilted pattern made out of a material similar to the famous Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten Parachute bag, or a sleeping bag, and faux leather. It's quite cushiony, a feature I liked. There are 2 rolled handles, long enough for the tote to comfortably rest on the shoulders. It's got a zipper closure which is my closure of choice, prevents/hinders people with sticky fingers from copping off with any of my belongings.
The interior is fabric, also a preference of mine. I am not a fan of satin lining, however luxurious a feel it gives a bag, as they tend to rip and stain more easily. Leather interiors are fantastic but this bag wasn't costly, about USD21, so I can understand the manufacturer holding off on leather insides. There are 3 compartments, 2 open and a middle zippered compartment. One open compartment has a mobile phone pocket and one slightly larger pocket. The other open compartment has a zippered pocket. This is typical of most ladies handbags. The middle is just one large zippered compartment.
I initially bought this tote for my '08 bicoastal summer trip but at the last minute ditched it in favour of a smaller crossbody bag that was more suited for my plane-hopping needs. I just didn't feel like going through the hassle of airport security with a large tote like that, guaranteeing I would be lugging around more crap than I normally would and potentially getting held up at the x-ray machines. It was also a navy blue colour which I had felt was not a colour I could comfortably match with all my travel clothes. So after one trip from the homeland to the workland, I packed it up in one of my luggages, completely forgetting about it till I saw the Dana.
Struck by inspiration, as I often am these days (perhaps a cause of my sleeplessness), I got it out of its storage place and looked it over. It was large enough, the exterior feels padded and I believe, with a lil bit of needlework, it can definitely become a laptop tote! I got to work on it. The bag is fine for a coupla mags and other girly items but if its also going to have to hold a netbook, I'm going to have to reinforce the straps with some extra stitching. Many hours later, after my fingers are raw and numb as well as in a bit of pain, I have myself a makeshift laptop tote! Besides the handle straps, I also sewed in my purple laptop sleeve into the middle compartment to give it more padding. Ta-da! Now that's an inspiration that really worked and something I am definitely proud of :) Granted, it's not like I made the bag from scratch but let's not take away from my ingeniousity (does this word exist? and since I had to ask that doesn't make me much of a genius does it?) and be a downer. The point is, I had an issue and managed to solve it without spending a single cent!
Don't get me wrong, if I find the Lexie, I'll still get it, but then I'll have TWO laptop bags that I can alternate! Depending on the mood of the day :D
But putting aside the thoroughly miserable state of LeSportsac in Singapore, it made me realize that purchasing the Lexie tote might take some time. Time my Botkier does not have, I know if I keep up this much abuse on its poor straps it will say enough is enough and soon from the looks of it. *Sigh*. My netbook is less than 2 lbs but it's still a bit much for my Botkier to handle. And I know some people think that I shouldn't be so hung up over a satchel that came from Target but I just adore the design, the feel, the everything of this bag and to have it break on me would cause the lil place in my heart, reserved for all things material that have found a place for itself in there, to break as well.
So, as I'm trawling the Internet, searching high and low for the perfect Lexie tote (perfect = design I like + price comparable to retail + reasonable delivery cost), looking at the images of LeSportsac bags over and over at sites like Like.com and ebags.com, I spot the LeSportsac Dana tote (it's just a normal shopping tote I think) and can't help feel a sense of familiarity. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why the Dana looks like one of my own and it's then I realize that I have a similarly shaped large tote that I bought last year but only used once. It's shaped exactly like the Dana. The exterior is a quilted pattern made out of a material similar to the famous Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten Parachute bag, or a sleeping bag, and faux leather. It's quite cushiony, a feature I liked. There are 2 rolled handles, long enough for the tote to comfortably rest on the shoulders. It's got a zipper closure which is my closure of choice, prevents/hinders people with sticky fingers from copping off with any of my belongings.
The interior is fabric, also a preference of mine. I am not a fan of satin lining, however luxurious a feel it gives a bag, as they tend to rip and stain more easily. Leather interiors are fantastic but this bag wasn't costly, about USD21, so I can understand the manufacturer holding off on leather insides. There are 3 compartments, 2 open and a middle zippered compartment. One open compartment has a mobile phone pocket and one slightly larger pocket. The other open compartment has a zippered pocket. This is typical of most ladies handbags. The middle is just one large zippered compartment.
I initially bought this tote for my '08 bicoastal summer trip but at the last minute ditched it in favour of a smaller crossbody bag that was more suited for my plane-hopping needs. I just didn't feel like going through the hassle of airport security with a large tote like that, guaranteeing I would be lugging around more crap than I normally would and potentially getting held up at the x-ray machines. It was also a navy blue colour which I had felt was not a colour I could comfortably match with all my travel clothes. So after one trip from the homeland to the workland, I packed it up in one of my luggages, completely forgetting about it till I saw the Dana.
Struck by inspiration, as I often am these days (perhaps a cause of my sleeplessness), I got it out of its storage place and looked it over. It was large enough, the exterior feels padded and I believe, with a lil bit of needlework, it can definitely become a laptop tote! I got to work on it. The bag is fine for a coupla mags and other girly items but if its also going to have to hold a netbook, I'm going to have to reinforce the straps with some extra stitching. Many hours later, after my fingers are raw and numb as well as in a bit of pain, I have myself a makeshift laptop tote! Besides the handle straps, I also sewed in my purple laptop sleeve into the middle compartment to give it more padding. Ta-da! Now that's an inspiration that really worked and something I am definitely proud of :) Granted, it's not like I made the bag from scratch but let's not take away from my ingeniousity (does this word exist? and since I had to ask that doesn't make me much of a genius does it?) and be a downer. The point is, I had an issue and managed to solve it without spending a single cent!
Don't get me wrong, if I find the Lexie, I'll still get it, but then I'll have TWO laptop bags that I can alternate! Depending on the mood of the day :D
