vintage luggage

1930s Bespoke Gentleman's Spirits Case from Goyard

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Men's Style, The Classicist

An elegant 1930s bespoke gentleman's spirits case from Goyard, the luxurious Parisian luggage maker founded in 1853, is being offered for sale by New York's Mantiques Modern for $2,800. Custom made for a connoisseur who wanted to be sure of always having his favorite tipple ready to hand while gallivanting around the globe, the handmade monogrammed case is crafted of fine pigskin with brass hardware. Inside it features two sizable silver plated flasks and a set of four silver tumblers in fitted compartments. When fastened it resembles a briefcase. Goyard has long had a devoted clientele of celebrities and royalty. Aristocrats such as the Grand Duke of Russia, the Maharajah of Kapurthala and the Duke of Windsor all traveled with Goyard luggage.

Gallery: 1930s Goyard Spirits Case

Tags: 1930s, antiques, bespoke, briefcase, flasks, France, Goyard, leather luggage, luggage, Mantiques Modern, mens style, New York, Paris, silver, spirits, vintage luggage

Incredible Vintage Vuitton Collection on Offer at Christie's

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Auctions

On September 28th Christie's in London will offer an incredible collection of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage during its Interiors: Style & Spirit sale. Over 20 pieces from the famed French luxury goods house dating from the late 19th century to the 1940s will go on the block, including suitcases, small trunks, hat boxes and vanity cases. Each timelessly luxurious item tells a different story, with many still sporting vintage travel labels from trips with their original owners on steamships and to exotic locales, while others feature hand-painted monograms and colorful custom stripes. With an inviting estimate range of £400 to £6,000 (about $9,000) and favorable exchange rates, this is a perfect opportunity to add to or begin that vintage luggage collection.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Vintage Vuitton at Christie's London

Tags: auction, Christies, London, Louis Vuitton, luggage, trunks, vintage luggage

The Classicist: The Mystery of Out of Africa Author Karen Blixen's Hermès Luggage

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist

Hermès has uncovered a couple of remarkable pieces of bespoke luggage in its archives, made for famed Danish Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, aka Isak Dineson, in the 1930s. The Art Deco tobacco-colored crocodile skin cases, one ordered in 1930 and the other in 1935, contain every conceivable article an aristocratic author could need on an arduous journey to Africa. The famed Parisian luxury goods house notes that the more complex of the two took its craftsmen 368 hours to make; both feature fine inlays and engraving, with most pieces adorned with a baroness' crown and the author's DBF monogram for Dineson Blixen-Finecke, a combination of her maiden and married names (her full title was Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke).

The cases feature myriad compartments and leather boxes for spirits, smoking accessories, writing instruments, notepaper, perfume bottles, cosmetics, playing cards, jewelry, small tools, sewing items, brushes and more, with some items finished in sterling silver and tortoiseshell. However, Hermès notes the the items appear to be unused and probably never made it to Kenya, where Blixen established a coffee plantation at the foot of the N'gong Hills; and therein lies something of a mystery. Noting that by December of 1930, when the first case was ordered, Blixen was somewhat down on her luck and preparing to leave Africa, Hermès thinks it unlikely she ordered it for herself and the archives are unclear. Could it perhaps have been intended as a gift from her lover, dashing big game hunter and pilot Denys Finch Hatton?

Gallery: Karen Blixen's Crocodile Hermes Suitcases

Tags: Africa, Art Deco, author, bespoke, crocodile, Denmark, Hermes, Isak Dineson, Karen Blixen, Kenya, luggage, luxury goods, Out of Africa, Paris, suitcase, travel, vintage luggage

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120 Year Old Vuitton Damier Trunk for $11,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Men's Style

We've written before about the aesthetic pleasures of vintage luggage. Now a London antiques dealer is offering one of the most beautiful examples of classic Louis Vuitton we've ever come across. Dating back to 1890, less than 40 years after Louis Vuitton was founded in Paris, the Vuitton Damier cabin trunk comes from an era when well-heeled travelers had a large retinue to cart along their every need even on the most exotic excursions. The Pullman Gallery in London is offering the trunk, featuring the rare Damier checkerboard pattern, brass handles and hardware, and wood and leather trim, for $11,000 to serious collectors. Restored to original condition, the beautiful trunk is most likely the only one of its kind.

[via Luxury Launches]

Tags: antiques, London, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, luggage, trunk, vintage luggage, VintageLuggage