Peralta is a new line of bags from Waterfield Designs, designed to appeal to professional women — a market that’s ignored far too often, in our opinion. We’ve received the first products from the new line, including the Balani Backpack ($279). The American-made bag comes in coated taffeta (navy or black), or black ballistic nylon — we received the black coated taffeta version of the backpack. We also got our hands on the complimentary Etta Pouch ($25) and Leather Key Tether ($19).
Peralta’s Balani Backpack attempts to combine high-end style with functionality, and it does a pretty good job. It doesn’t have as many pockets as most bags we feature — there’s a laptop pocket which fits up to a 15” MacBook, a smaller inner pocket, two side pockets which should hold smaller bottles, and an effective front exterior pocket with an effective magnetic enclosure — but there should be enough extra interior space for notebooks and an iPad. The backpack’s handles and bottom are both made of full-grain leather, adding to the bag’s appeal. Balani isn’t just attractive, either, as the coated taffeta makes the bag lightweight and easy to clean.
