A few weeks ago, I reviewed a Moshi bag as the first in a series of reviews on how to look professional while carrying your gear. Today, we’re looking at how to carry your laptop in style, with the Grace Deluxe Sleeve from STM.
Most laptop sleeves are boring and simple. A padded center, maybe an organizer panel, but nothing that makes it stand out in any way. STM isn’t playing by those rules. The Grace sleeve is colorful, carefully designed, and definitely not boring! It comes in multiple colors and styles, from a fairly sedate navy to a coral/off white combo. I was sent the Teal Dot/Starry Night design, so the flap and upper part of the sleeve are teal with lighter dots, and the lower part is a blue material that almost looks and feels like denim. It’s a bold design, and while it may not appeal to everyone, it’s a nice color combination.
The build quality of the Grace sleeve is excellent as well. The laptop area is nicely padded, and it’s secured with a magnetic flap. I always like when bags use magnets for closure, because it streamlines the look, eliminates snaps that you have to fiddle with or velcro that makes noise and breaks down over time, and you don’t have to fumble to open and close it. There’s also a zipper pocket with organizer slots, which is perfect for charger cables, pens and styluses, business cards, wallet, etc. There are two comfortable carry handles but no cross body strap, so this is pretty much a tote bag-style sleeve.
I need to revisit the color/style again, because that’s what trips me up a little bit on the sleeve. It’s a lovely color, but I can’t imagine carrying it into the office. It would certainly stand out against my mostly black/brown/grey wardrobe, but it just adds a touch too much brightness. Since I wasn’t sure if it was just me, I showed the bag to my sister-in-law, who is an attorney. She agreed it was a great design, but she couldn’t imagine herself carrying it into the office. Of course, immediately after we had this conversation our other sister-in-law arrived (it was a family dinner night) and she loved the sleeve. She was impressed at how slim it was, and she loved that the design was far less boring than her usual black laptop bag.
If you work in a very conservative environment, you might be better off with Night Sky or one of the more staid designs, but if you can pull off brighter colors, check out the full line of STM’s Grace Deluxe Sleeves! At $59.95, they’re priced competitively with traditional laptop bags, but are significantly more stylish!
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
What I Liked: Excellent build quality; pattern and colors were bright and cheery; plenty of room for a laptop and accessories; slim design; easy carry with handles.
What Needs Improvement: Some of the color designs are a little too out there for a professional office.
