Totes for fashionable flyers

Lighten up the next time you board a plane. Black or other dreary carry-on totes are as dated as the terminals at LAX. Each new fashion season brings a broader selection of colors, shapes and styles from the travel accessories industry. The new crop of women’s bags, many designed by women, come in bright and light colors; some add fun illustrations, polka dots and other lively prints to the mix. Six women from The Times’ staff teamed up to test some of the new models. Here’s what they thought.

-- Rosemary McClure