A short while back I asked Kate if she would like to design a bag. I’m glad she wanted to because after a few revisions and samples the final product is beautiful! And it has the perfect name… the Funchico (from Funky, Chic and Cool). The Funchico is based on a vintage train case but with features to accommodate the modern laptop-carrying woman. Its exterior fabric is a perfect fit for a vintage look, but it’s woven with pink threads to give it a modern edge. The pink threads make the fabric look different depending on how the light hits it. Really nice fabric, but as Kate mentions, hard to photograph.

Kate just posted her own review and write up of the bag on her lens. As always, she perfectly describes the bag, its features, fabric and more. You can find the entire write up on her lens and I’ve included it below.

Kate’s write up on the Funchico:

The Funchico – a Vintage-Style Pink Laptop Tote

Classic Holly Golightly style, updated for the 21st Century

Well, I finally did it! After spending over four years reviewing everyone elses’ laptop bags, I’ve finally designed one myself.

Meet … The Funchico!

I’m thrilled that I finally had the opportunity, through a partnership with Rainebrooke Designs, to create my dream bag. The Funchico’s design is based on a vintage train case – the kind that fashionable women used to carry on trains and ships as they embarked on exciting journeys around the world. Except, that bag silhouette wouldn’t work too well for the modern laptop-carrying fashionista. But with a few tweaks, you get the Funchico.

The Funchico is a vertically oriented bag that will hold up to a 15.4″ laptop. The sleeve in the centre of the bag is removable – great for getting through airport security. The inside of the bag is also fashioned on the train case. There are three generous pockets in the main compartment of the bag – they are loosely gathered and zippered to resemble the pockets in vintage luggage. The nice thing about them is that they will accommodate different size accessories – so whether your power brick is for a Mac or a PC, it will fit. As the Funchico is a clamshell-style, there are also two zippered slim pockets in the interior of the top of the case.

On the front of the Funchico, there is a small pocket with a silver twist closure that is perfect for your mobile phone or iPod. On the back, there are two zippers – open the top one and you have a place to stow a few documents or a magazine; open the bottom one as well and you have a passthrough you can use to attach the Funchico over the top of your luggage.

You can carry the Funchico either by its generous faux-leather shoulder handles or via the small briefcase-style handle on the top. And, of course there are four silver feet to protect the bottom from dirt.

One of the things I am most excited about the Funchico is the fabric. It is unique tan and pink metallic tweed. This gives the bag an interesting texture, depending on the light (it also makes it a little tricky to photograph – I’ve found the bag is actually more pink in real life than it is in the photos). The broader tweed weave makes it a little more dirt-resistant than bags with a tight tweed weave.

Oh, I mentioned that the internal sleeve is removable. It’s secured by Velcro strips and we’ve made sure that the “soft” side of the Velcro is on the interior of the bag, so, if you wanted, you could actually remove the sleeve and use the Funchico simply as an overnight bag. Sweet!

When designing the bag and working through the manufacturing process with Rainebrooke, we both wanted to make sure that we didn’t sacrifice the environment for fashion. So all carbon produced during manufacturing and transport has been offset purchased through Carbonfund.org. And finally, we donate a portion of the proceeds to Dress for Success (Vancouver and Houston chapters) – an organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire.

You can purchase the Funchico at Rainebrooke’s site – it sells for $99 US.

Steph is also hosting a giveaway for a free Allie pink laptop bag. Head over to her blog, watch the video and then enter to win! Update (7/12): congrats to Nicole @wordforteens for winning our giveaway.

While your on Steph’s blog, take a look at her debut novel “Girl Saves Boy” and pick up a copy for yourself in September.

Pick up the latest print edition or subscribe to MacTribe magazine and you can see the Funchico vintage pink laptop case review.

Update: Just received the print edition of MacTribe and was very excited to see that the Funchico laptop case and the Allie laptop bag are on the first page of the Techie Trendy section. Very cool! Thanks @MacTribe. Image of print edition below.

Picture by MacTribe magazine / AJ Soto Photography

More press reviews of Rainebrooke’s pink laptop bags & cases can be found here.

Hello Pink! I have started to visit some boutiques to introduce my accessories there, and I need to bring my computer with me because with more than 500 different items in the store catalog, it is kind of hard to carry a sample for everything, but since I do have pictures of all the products, all I need is some samples and my computer.
I needed something that would be practical, stylish….And cute ….Something that would go with my store theme. Finding a computer bag that is stylish is not that hard, but finding one that wouldn’t be too big and that would match my store was another story….Then I found this great computer bags store called Rainebrooke and I knew my problems were solved.
Rainebrooke offers the cutest PINK, yes that is right pink computer bags I have been able to find so far. All of their bags have two things in common, they are all really cute and all of them are pink, so if you are looking for a pink and super cute computer bag you need to take a look at the Rainebrooke store.
I received the Allie Laptop Tote Bag for this review which is a bubble gum pink color with black faux leather handles and trims, the bag is very comfortable and light weight, and the vertical design makes it easy to carry around as a handbag or used over the shoulders with the detachable shoulder strap.
The Allie bag features a padded laptop pocket which gives you easy access to through the top zippered opening. The interior has plenty of room for all your power cords and other tech accessories. With several pockets on both the inside and outside of the bag you’ll have space to keep your cell phone, PDA, iPod, keys and makeup within easy reach. There’s even an organizer section for your business cards, credit cards and pens. This is not just a computer bag; it is a girl’s computer bag…..I wonder if the designer was a woman……My laptop is a 15.4 and fits perfectly in the bag.
One more thing I really like about having a pink bag is that pink is the official Breast Cancer Awareness color and I am all about supporting the fight against cancer!

Journalist Maximus – the “I carry everything with me at all times” journalist.

Journalist Simplicus – the JS doesn’t want to carry a lot of gear (or if they do, it’s small gear – netbook, point and shoot camera, iphone) and needs to move quickly.

Journalist Retroicus – often seen sporting a fedora, this journalist eschews any and all equipment besides their trusty notepad.

Journalist Impatiens Paranoicus – generally a traveler – roaming to far-flung, exotic locales to ply their trade.

And my favorite!

Journalist Fashionista – She (fieldnote: typically, though not exclusively, this species is female) wants it all. Capacity for all her gear, comfort in the carrying and style in the look. She wants to fit in on the pages of Vogue yet write for Newsweek.

Head over to Funchico.com and read the full article and field guide to laptop bags for journalist. The full article includes dozens of different bags, showing which ones are the best for each species of journalist. The new Rainebrooke Black Candy laptop bag, is one of the bags listed for the Journalist Fashionista.

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The complete Black Candy laptop bag write-up is below:

Black Candy Laptop Bag
Dare to be different with Rainebrooke’s new Black Candy Laptop Bag. This bag, available in black and pink and black and red, takes on a retro feel with its bowling bag design. This fun and fresh look is just the cherry on the top because the interior of the bag is even more impressive. The bag opens accordion style with two separate compartments, each with their own zipper. On one side you’ll find the padded laptop compartment, which includes a checkpoint-friendly laptop sleeve. On the other side you’ll find ample room to store your documents as well as pens, business cards, power cords, and any other accessory in specially designed super organized compartments. The Black Candy Laptop will fit laptops up to 15.4” with the sleeve, and up to 17” without using the sleeve.

Thanks to everyone at MacTribe for the mention!

The Black Candy Laptop Tote from Rainebrooke Designs

Boppin’ it at the sock hop with a retro chic laptop bag

It’s summer and surprisingly hot here in coastal Vancouver. So I’ve been wearing my hair in a ponytail lately. And sporting rolled up jeans and oversize white oxford shirts. And I realised that I’ve been transported to the 50′s and have become Ritchie Cunningham’s little sister. Sock hops, slicked hair and poodle skirts are all the rage. And my saddle shoes are swell.

But I’ve got one thing Joanie didn’t have – and that is the rockin’ Black Candy laptop tote from Rainebrooke Designs. Steve from Rainebrooke sent me a Black Candy to try out. At first glance, the shiny patent handles and trim definitely make me feel like this bag will fit right in with my current 50′s vibe. But don’t fret, there is nothing old-fashioned about the Black Candy. It’s definitely a modern woman’s bag!

The Black Candy is a split-style laptop tote. One side holds your laptop and has a removable sleeve for extra padding. The sleeve holds up to a 15″ laptop – but if you remove the sleeve, a 17″ will fit on the laptop side. The Black Candy is very well padded, so even if you don’t have the sleeve, I don’t think you need to worry about your laptop.

The other side of the Black Candy is for all those bits and baubles that make our lives easier (or possibly just more cluttered). Rainebrooke has included three zippered pockets one one side and a bag-wide mesh pocket on the other. There are also the usual holders for business cards and pens – handy! The main holding area of this side is very generous – it will hold a number of file folders, a notebook and possibly your lunch.

One of the VERY smart things about the Black Candy is that each of the sides of the tote has it’s own zipper – so you don’t have to have the laptop side opened when you’re digging through the bauble side – and vice versa.

The Black Candy has very generous handles for over-the-shoulder or in-hand carrying. There are four metal feet on the bottom to keep the bag off the ground. There is one zippered pocket on the outside for stashing a wallet or other small item. Very handy, but I do wish this pocket were a little deeper – it doesn’t *quite* hold a boarding pass and zip back up.

The Black Candy is available in black with red or pink patent vinyl trim and handles. I find that the red is darker and not as fire engine-y as I expected from the pictures on the website. So if you’re worried about the red one being too bright, don’t be. The pink one though – Steve says its pink is like cotton candy!

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* Be sure to read through the entire review, you might find something special

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