Old-fashioned luggage for the modern male
HERITAGE, tradition, craftsmanship – these are the menswear values du jour. A perfectly constructed brogue has never been more fashionable, a tailored tweed suit is oh so very now. Which means you need the accessories to match – and if you’re travelling, a common-or-garden trolley bag really doesn’t cut it. Thanks to brands like Tumi, Globe-Trotter and Hackett (the latter two of which have teamed up) the classic vintage look is back, with the kind of bags that look as though your butler should be carrying them for you.
Or go for the real thing. Bentley’s (www.bentleyslondon.com), a specialist shop in Kensington, is an emporium of antique leather, with cases, trunks and bags from bygone gentlemanly brands like Finnegans, Drew & Sons and Vickery. “The turn of the century was the golden age for luggage,” says manager Julian Hardwicke, who recently sold a pair of crocodile skin panniers for carrying on an elephant, made for a Maharaja by Asprey. “The wealthy were really wealthy, and when they travelled they needed a lot of kit, from trunks to small cases, all of it beautifully made.”
You wouldn’t want to chuck an antique case into an aeroplane hold, but for a romantic weekend away in the country – particularly if you’ve got a classic car to load them onto the back of – there’s nothing finer, or more stylish.
Hackett with
globetrotter
Trolley case, £750
www.hackett.com
TUMI
Tennyson attache, £2,895 (exclusive to Harrods)
www.harrods.com