We have come a long way since the days of the boring black or grey PC chassis and chunky shoulder breaking laptops. Now you can get a portable PC in almost any colour and in a variety of patterns and materials.

Fashion designers are embracing all things technical and using it as inspiration for their catwalk shows. A laptop or netbook is this season’s must-have accessory.

Hewlett-Packard, at the forefront of fashion

HP has been making serious waves in the fashion world of late, with its collaborations with designers and involvement with the US version of the series Project Runway.

In 2008 HP teamed up with Vivienne Tam to create the HP Mini 1140NR Vivienne Tam Edition and also released a very stylish HP Mini 110 customised by Tord Boontje with elaborate 3D imprinted patterns on the lid.

This month sees the US release of a second laptop designed by Tam, the HP Mini 210. This netbook has been described as a “digital clutch” and debuted on the catwalk of her spring/summer 09 collection during New York Fashion Week in September last year (see the video below).

On 5^th March after the announcement of the new Butterfly netbook release, Tam spoke to Bloomberg’s Lori Rothman of her efforts to combine high tech and high fashion. She said:

“This digital clutch is about butterflies, it’s about transformation and independence. Its good to have something feminine because computers in the past have been all about men and I think that doing something that is beautiful can give femininity to it.”

HP also sells a colourful line of Pavilion Artist Edition Notebook PCs and another HP Mini 110 decorated with pink and white floral swirls.

Digital handbags on the market

Most computer manufacturers today cater for those who appreciate the aesthetics of a PC, whether they are male or female. The Sony VAIO Signature Collection has a variety of colourful laptops from the VAIO series.

The collection features a Silver X VAIO, a Metal Mosaic Z VAIO, a Glossy Carbon Fibre Z VAIO, a Crystal Rain White CW VAIO and a Bronze L VAIO desktop, as well as a new Brilliant Pink CW VAIO notebook, decorated with blossom print.

Dell has the Inspiron range which comes in an array of pleasing colours; some of the new pastels are very in season. It also has the Dell Studio 17 which is offered in seven primary colours and a choice of 200 designs and patterns from marble to floral to tartan!

For those of you (it’s mainly the male readers I am referring to here) who don’t particularly want a pretty or patterned laptop, why not consider the Acer Ferrari One, a bright red laptop crowned with that famous stallion logo.

Digital handbag classics

If you are rarely seen without your laptop, why not make sure it extenuates your look. One laptop that will look good with any outfit is an Apple MacBook.

With its brushed aluminium casing and minimal decoration it is like the LBD (little black dress, for those who didn’t know) of laptops, the quilted Chanel bag if you will!

If a MacBook is too expensive or simply is not your style, then you must look into Dell’s XPS range; the laptops are sleek, portable and stylish, what more could you want from a tote-book?

Image credit: nDevilTV