Carpetbag Luxury for Your Laptop - the Wirkin from Veronica London

I have a great affection for carpet bags. They always remind me of Anne of Green Gables, who arrived off the train at Bright River with all her worldly goods in an ancient carpet bag. Anne's carpet bag had to be carried a certain way or the handle would fall off - not very functional for the young orphan on the go.

Fortunately, the Veronica London Wirkin Laptop Carpet Bag is not your grandmother's carpet bag - it's definitely a carpet bag for the new millennium. It has a unique look and is really well-made; the vintage fabric is whimsical yet chic. The rich texture of the fabric and the pebbled leather trim and handles make the Wirkin a great marriage of classic and Bohemian style.

I'm a fan of the handbag-style laptop tote and the Wirkin's shoulder straps make for comfy carrying. I also liked that the Wirkin has the same fabulous little feet I loved so much on the Veronica London Monogram Laptop Tote. I was a little worried that the buckle closure on the front of the bag would be fussy, but it turns out the front is just a clever illusion! The bag actually zips across the top, which makes for much easier access.

There is a little gap at the top of the bag, even with the zipper closed - so between that and the vintage fabric, the Wirkin's not really a rainy day bag.

The Wirkin is very fun and fashion-forward but it isn't just about looks - inside, this bag's all business. It comes with a padded, removable laptop sleeve, which fit my MacBook Pro very comfortably (my MacBook also liked the leather detail on the laptop sleeve - a nice touch).

The laptop sleeve has its own compartment, which is also padded for extra laptop love. The laptop compartment is secured with a Velcro strap - if you're not toting your laptop around, the compartment is the perfect size for files, binders, magazines, etc.

The middle compartment has room for your eyewear, PDA, iPod, cellphone, pens, business cards and anything else you might need. None of the interior pockets are zippered, however, so I wouldn't toss small, hard-to-find items or loose change in there. The front compartment runs the length of the bag - more room for files, notebook or wallet.

The Wirkin is quite a roomy bag and has just the right amount of structure - not too firm, not too floppy. Even if you overstuff it a little (my Annotated Anne of Green Gables hardcover takes up a lot of room), the carpet bag fabric is sturdy yet forgiving, which I appreciated.

Ellen and the fine folks at Veronica London let me pick which Wirkin bag I wanted to test and review - it was a tough call, but I chose the green Wirkin (green does suit us redheads). The bag also comes in burnt orange carpet bag fabric, which I loved almost as much as the green. If you like the Wirkin style of bag but are not feeling the business Bohemian attitude, you can also get the Wirkin in red and black microfiber.

While I will always associate carpet bags with Anne, the design of the Wirkin bags are actually an homage to the famous Hermès Birkin Bag!. But while the Birkin typically starts at $7500 US, you can get a fabulous Veronica London Wirkin Laptop Carpet Bag for only $140 US at CareerBags.com.

UPDATE: It seems this version of the Veronica London has been retired.