On November 17 in London Sotheby's and Louis Vuitton will co-host a gala charity auction of six limited-edition Special Orders Vuitton pieces to benefit the Red Cross and commemorate the organization's 150th anniversary. Since its creation in 1854, Vuitton's Special Orders department has made bespoke creations (see Karl Lagerfeld's here) to suit the whims of customers willing to pay for the perfect carrying case to suit their whims. For the Red Cross benefit sale, Vuitton created custom pieces for Damien Hirst (a butterfly armoire), chef Ferran Adrià (trolley case with knife tray), photographer Annie Leibovitz (camera bags), musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla (instrument case), Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs (dog carrier) and Patrick Louis Vuitton (alligator tool kit), the head of Vuitton's Special Orders department and a member of the fifth generation of the Vuitton family. Each piece was designed by Patrick-Louis Vuitton in collaboration with the celebrity, along with a special Red Cross medical kit trunk (above) with boxes for emergency supplies.

Louis Vuitton has just released two new Monogram watch cases. While Louis Vuitton has been making watches for a while, it is not clear whether or not they have previously made watch cases. Though it makes total sense for the luxury bag and luggage maker to do so. One case is trunk style, and suitable for 8 watches. While the other is more like a roll case, and sized for 3-4 watches. Each are made in France, with the brand's usual style and noticeable exterior.

The inside is made of a microfiber material that should be nice on your watches, while pads are used for the watch themselves (which are removable). The smaller case has a brass buckle, while the larger mini-trunk case uses a lock and key. They both make good travel cases - something which is hard to find for watches as most travel cases take up more space than they are worth. Louis Vuitton also suggests that the cases are ideal for storing watches in while they are in a safe. I'm sure you'll think of all sorts of good ways to show these Monogram cases off. Prices are up there - $620 for the 8.3 inch wide smaller case, and $4,070 for the 13.4 inch wide mini-trunk.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

We've written before about the allure of vintage luggage, expressing the glamour and decadence of a bygone era when journeying to a foreign land involved adventure, romance and style. While certain pieces do turn up at auction from time to time, the Germany-based Vintage Luggage Company has now amassed the world's greatest collection of classic travel items made by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Goyard, which they can have professionally crated and shipped worldwide. Among the prizes in their inventory are an amazing selection of bespoke trunks, including a 1920s Vuitton desk trunk which converts to a writing table complete with a typewriter. Another trunk from 1925 houses a full set of plates, cutlery and cooking equipment, each with its own bespoke leather case. Others contain a long evening's worth of champagne, a complete collection of hats, a portable library - pretty much anything you could wish for while on the road.

[via Duncan Quinn]

If you were to commission Louis Vuitton to create a bespoke trunk made to hold anything you desire, what would it be? Last year we wrote about Karl Lagerfeld's custom Vuitton trunk made to hold his collection of 20 iPods. Pretty cool if a little over-the-top. A Chinese gentleman has commissioned something more grandiose and yet more mundane from the famed French luxury goods house, which will produce anything within reason.

The client "wanted to be able to watch television and offer coffee to his friends wherever he traveled in the world, including the remotest desert," LV's Patrick-Louis Vuitton recounts. "We agreed to put two solar panels linked to a battery for the flat-screen TV and DVD player, two-way radio, tuner and coffee machine." The trunk (above), covered in Damier canvas, took a year and tens of thousands of dollars to complete.

Meanwhile, Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs remarked at the Met Costume Institute Gala in New York last night that luxurious trunks are not likely to make a comeback. "I don't think there's anything practical about travelling with a trunk," Jacobs said. "Luxury travel is traveling with a toothbrush. That's it, end of story. The people who really live luxurious lives don't need to pack. They've got stuff wherever they go."

It's Barbie's 50th birthday this year (if this is the first you're hearing of it then you've been living in a hole) so of course everything Barbie is popping up everywhere. Maison Goyard didn't want to be left out so the celebration continues with this special limited edition trunk, decorated in Barbie's favorite color (pink!) and complete with a Barbie and accessories inside. Available at Collette for €2880.

I think I'd actually like it better if it came without the random Barbie inside, leaving room to use the trunk for storing your personal favorite Barbie doll instead.

Via ForbesLife

As part of its celebration of designer Stephen Sprouse as reported by my colleague Deirdre Woollard last month, Louis Vuitton is transforming its SoHo flagship in NYC into a Sprouse tribute starting this Thursday. Along with a new Sprouse collection the luxury label is offering a handful of limited edition items in homage to the late designer and his street-inspired style. The best of these is a Sprouse-inspired skateboard that comes in a custom Louis Vuitton monogram trunk (above). Limited to only three pieces, the set is priced at $8,250. Proceeds from the limited edition pieces will go to charities centered on the promotion of art in New York City.

[via Freshness]

I'm going on a trip next week and although I'd love to have a new stylish suitcase I think this Swarovski Crystal Trunk by Samsonite Black Label is a bit over-the-top for my taste. Modeled after a popular 1920s style and covered from top to bottom in sparkling, glittering crystals, this trunk is a mix of flash and class -- modern bling on a vintage design.

The trunks are available in a limited edition of only be 30 and although they were available on Colette just last week, as of today they're no longer listed.

One thing I've learned after spending time with serious watch collectors is that their obsession is only limited by their wallets or what their spouses might let them get away with. For serious Piaget aficionados there is the Piaget Collector's Trunk created by luxury trunk maker Pinel & Pinel. It is made of poplar wood covered with cowhide with palladium-electroplated brass with mirror-polished finish. It holds 51 watches and there is a movement integrated into the center window to wind automatic watches. It comes with a travel case that holds three watches. "Essential collector's tools" and a remote control to switch the lights inside on and off are also included. It is available in 20 different colors of leather for both the inside and the outside and can be personalized with an engraved plate. Custom trunks take three months to create.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Visionaire magazine -- a publication where design, marketing, style, trends and art intersect -- is charging $50,000 for a special Goyard trunk designed for its collectors. The handmade trunk will house the magazine's first 50 issues. This summer, Visionaire also will offer 10 complete sets of its first 50 issues in the Goyard trunks for $150,000. The customized steamer trunks, assembled by hand, will have shelves and insets designed for all 50 issues. Collectors also can buy an empty trunks for €34,500 ($54,000).

From its premiere issue in April 1991 (now up to 54 issues, with each issue typically priced between $150 - $350), Visionaire "challenged notions of what it meant to be an art and fashion publication and was conceived of as a venue for artists such as Mario Testino and Steven Meisel to publish personal work," WSJ stated. It has morphed into something more like a design challenge for its many contributors.

Each issue (which can take between nine months and three years to complete) is typically a mixed-media riff on a theme, posing an ongoing set of challenges to a small crew of designers. For example, White began with the question: How do you publish without using ink? Answer: a combination of Braille, embossing, varnish and paper-cut illustrations. Scent came with perfume capsules, Taste had specially-designed flavor-strips and Sound featured a Mini Cooper toy car that played record albums.

I've seen foldable bikes before but not ones with their own posh trunk. The foldable Brompton bike in a box from luxury trunk makers Pinel & Pinel makes packing for a weekend jaunt easy. The leather-covered trunk is available in a variety of colors and has nickeled brass handles. It sells for $12,000 from Vivre.

Waterford Crystal has created the ultimate bar in a box. Their bar trunk has brass latches, leather trim and a rosewood interior with drawers for your tools and racks for both wine and spirits. Inside the trunk is stocked with crystal stemware, barware, canape plates and sterling silver bar tools. The trunk sells for $16,000.

[via Liquor Snob]

The Soprano Trunk from Pinel & Pinel is the ultimate music lounge accessory, especially if you'd rather have all your equipment in one unit than scattered about. It comes equipped with Beosound 3000 CD/Audio and 2 Beolab 3 speakers(250 watts) by Bang & Olufsen. The unit also has 24 small drawers that can contain up to 480 CDs. A front door swings open to either reveal or conceal the interior of the trunk and the leather-covered wood is available in 51 different colors, so there is definitely one that will look perfect of your home. It measures 71"H x 57"W x 17"D when closed.

[via notcot]