Lexie Barnes’ website intrigued me from the start, and if nothing else, made me excited to receive the product I was told I was going to review. The simple, elegant but still ‘hip’ design makes Lexi Barnes’ bio on the website seems that much more authentic: ‘Born and raised in Chicago’s spunky Old Town, Lexie spent her childhood tagging along with her dad to gigs in recording studios. There she’d spend hours play-acting, making mischief, and honing her drumming skills.”

Despite her spunky past, Barnes ended up living in New England with her four kids and now has a career in designing and distributing bags. The Lexie Barnes line includes everything from luggage tags to messenger bags, and comes in three distinct patterns: Utopia, Pacifica, and Diablo. The style-conscious laptop owner would be most interested in her laptop bag – a welcome respite from the massive monochromatic monstrosities that are the standard.

The two strongest aspects of the Lexie Barnes laptop bags are the two things that most laptop bags aren’t: stylish and sleek. Any student who eagerly awaited the purchase of their first laptop before they headed off to university or college will probably recall the huge, probably black case that you used with your new techno-toy. I know mine was heavy, massive, and I quickly decided that I did not want to lug the laptop-and-bag combo to class every day. The Lexie Barnes bag, however, is hardly bigger than my laptop, a trade-off resulting in a lack of extra padding protection that one may want.

A laptop bag like this is perfect for people who are commuting to and from work or school, as the bag takes up minimal space and allows for easy access if you want to pull out your computer and do some work while you travel. The bright, colourful patterns also ensure if your bag is stolen or lost, it will be easy to find and indentify. The adjustable strap ensures that users can make the bag as comfortable as possible to carry.

The biggest downside to the sleek design is fact that the dreaded bulkiness does return as soon as you try to store anything of a significant size in it. I was struggling with the zipper a little when I put my power cord in the bag – and unless you have a Mac Book air, this will probably be an issue with most laptops. Appearance-wise, there are only three patterns to choose from, all of which are very bright, and, well, very ‘loud’. If you’re a person who is more into neutral colours, these bags probably won’t appeal to you.

Another downside to the laptop bags is the price – from $90 to $100, depending on the size you need to accommodate your laptop. Considering that you can get a hardcover, leather laptop bag for around $80 makes me think that the nylon-and-cloth Lexie Barnes bag is a bit overpriced. I totally understand why people would shell out the money for a stylish bag, but I feel like with the Lexie Barnes bags, you are paying more for the colorful patterns than for the actual product.






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