One day, we’ll show off fits in real life again, even if it takes a little re-learning along the way. The Highsnobiety Summer Style Guide is here to help, ensuring that lightweight pieces still result in heavyweight looks.
Fashion is inherently aspirational — a medium through which we indulge our desires. If we were drawing up a ranked list of those desires right now, then I’d put money on a vacation being up there for pretty much everyone. Holding a mirror up to the world’s current state of limbo, fashion is reflecting our longing to travel, loud and clear. And it’s doing it through luggage.
Last week, Harry Styles had envy levels raging yet again after being spotted holidaying in Venice, Italy, with a Bode-centered fit and some fire luggage in tow. The luggage in question here was a Gucci holdall bag, accompanying the British artist on a trip to film the final scenes for the upcoming film My Policeman.
After months of almost totally forgetting what this ultra-functional accessory looked like, Styles has us all itching to get away, if only to invest in a new piece of carry-on.
Gucci isn’t the only fashion house to have tapped travel to connect with, or perhaps manipulate, our sun-starved brains recently. For the Fall/Winter 2021 Louis Vuitton show in January this year, Virgil Abloh centered much of the collection on jet-setting; the airplane a recurring motif on the Saul Williams-soundtracked runway.
As well as plane-shaped fasteners fixed to coats and blazers, luggage was a huge part of the collection, a nod to LV’s rich heritage in the category. With Virgil now piloting the house, new luggage landed in the form of shiny silver trunks on wheels and briefcases to match, weekend holdalls galore, and a certain winged bag. The trunks on show, styled superbly with garments by the exceptional Ib Kamara, were the standout — and it had me wondering why they’d taken so long to return in such grace.
With trunks and my next vacation floating around my mind since then, the category got a loving caress last week by Tyler, the Creator, who stood atop a pile of mammoth trunks and carried a cute LV option in the video for his new single, Lumberjack. Then last night, Tyler dropped the third video of the Call Me If You Get Lost Era — WUSYANAME — and trunks were again part of the supporting cast. A new day, and another appearance from the trunk, in another visual (below) shared by Tyler. It’s safe to say that luggage is having a moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETh_n0u-g5o
The numbers back it up, too. Data king Lyst told us that searches for luggage are up 120 percent this quarter. And it’s no surprise — luggage is so intrinsically linked with good times. Better times. It’s like smelling sunscreen. It opens the floodgates to our endorphins and makes us happy.
To help you get ahead of that re-granted freedom when it arrives, we visited the distant corners of the internet to bring you the best luggage around right now. From squared-out trunks similar to those seen on the LV runway and in the new Tyler video to weekend holdalls, we’ve ensured that you don’t miss when you trip.
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