Plastic People retro laptop bag

It seems like we've finally broken away from that idea that all laptop bags should be black and lack anything remotely stylish. That's probably thanks to independent thinkers like Plastic People, a New York-based bag design company, who do a nice line in hip laptop carriers - like these Plastic People Custom Laptop Bags, designed by Shannon South.

There's a number of colour combinations available, but the one pictured uses a vintage butterfly material - which certainly works for us. It's handmade and custon-built, so you can specify laptop size you need. It also features half-inch foam padding, adjustable straps, a coloured liner, an interior side sleeve/pocket, an external front pocket and an external side pocket for your mobile phone or iPod.

Priced at $180 (around £98), the company ships worldwide, with postage costing around £13.50 to the UK.

Find out more at the Plastic People website