Here’s a super sweet laptop sleeve I saw over at Design Milk. I’ve seen more designers use wool/felt in their sleeves, with this one being one of the coolest.
It’s simple, modern and masculine. A great departure from the typical (black) nylon sleeves.
Style aside, it probably needs some padding to be functional.
I guess it depends on the usage. My sleeve now doesn’t have much more padding than this, which works because I only use it to protect it from scrapes (I always carry it inside another bag).
If you’re a bit rougher with your laptop, or plan on carrying it by itself in a thin bag, I could see you opting for a more robust sleeve.