Review: Pad & Quill’s Attaché is timeless, will stand the test of time (Discount+Giveaway)

[Ed. Note: My wife liked this one so much she insisted she review it]

In many ways, my work is old school: unlike my other half, I work in an archive and write about the past. You might call my professional aesthetic “19th century schoolhouse.” Or at most “1920s Paris bookshop.” In other words, Pad&Quill. So when the Minnesota-based makers of the luxurious, leather notebook-style iPhone wallet case sent a new top-shelf work bag to our house, I claimed it. Over the past month I’ve been filling it with my MacBook, iPad, iPhone, papers, pens and books. Voilà the Attaché…

The Attaché bag follows the classic standards of its namesake case: it’s boxy, with plenty of space for documents and laptops. The sturdy leather keeps my files from crumpling and my computer from getting dinged — without the bulky (unsightly) padding you usually find in a laptop case.

While the exterior is a nod to the past, the interior reminds me that we live in the twenty-first century. The two compartments I use for my wallet and phone are lined in a bright orange soft suede. A free de-dust-ification every time I use it. Open the zipper pouch and it’s more orange:

The only part of the bag I haven’t found useful are the top straps of the interior pouches. This is because I’m impatient. The layout keeps me organized, but I can’t be bothered to tuck in the contents of those pouches. Instead, I’ve been sticking my lipgloss into the strap loop. The Attaché is fun for a boy or a girl. :)

You can carry the bag by its attaché handle or wear it like I do, à la messenger using a detachable, adjustable strap. If you’re on the shorter side (I’m 5’4”), you might want to have a cobbler add a hole to the belt-like strap. In my case, it sits just perfectly on my hip on the shortest setting.

The hardware used to attach the shoulder strap on either side is extremely robust. This is one of the first things I checked on the Attaché, and here’s why: When I first started my grown-up job, I was carrying a similar, chintzier bag one morning and had the unfortunate experience of having the strap pivot break off while I was greeting my new colleagues. The strap snapped out and the bag dropped right to the floor. Was this former grad student fit for a 9-to-5? I wasn’t feeling it. Not so with the Attaché.

Every detail — copper rivets, interior zipper, front button closure — is sturdy, functional, and beautiful.

The Attaché bag is a welcome complement to the repertoire of Pad & Quill offerings, which began with ultra-slim wallets and sleek Moleskine-styled gadget cases and now include some of the best-looking tech bags you can find (each bag is designed to satisfy). Everything they make is top shelf, with “leaves a good impression”-type quality.

P.S. This bag is truly unisex. But in case you’re not convinced, here’s a picture of a dude wearing the black version. (It’s not a purse, it’s European!)

The Attaché is available on padandquill.com for $440 but Pad & Quill are offering 9to5Mac readers 10% off this bag using code 9to5M at checkout.  Tweet, Facebook Like, Plus this post or sign up for our newsletter (or do all 4 to increase your chances) for a chance to win one in our giveaway.  We’ll notify winner via DM/Facebook/G+/newsletter email and announce the winner on this post next week.

Update: Our winner is Juliana G. from Brooklyn NYC. Thanks for playing!