Why the steamer trunk is still the ultimate suitcase for the stylish traveller

Few things evoke old-world glamour like a set of leather-lined, monogrammed trunks. Whizzy, wheelie, overhead-compartment-compatible cases may be practical, but a luxury trunk says ‘I have money’; it says ‘I am — literally — going places’. And in 2015, it certainly suggests that its owner is flying by private jet rather than by easyJet.

’Twas ever thus — from the creation of the first Louis Vuitton model in 1858, spawning dozens of imitations. Long before the label made clothes, jewellery or handbags and became an international byword for luxury fashion, a steamer trunk made by Louis Vuitton himself (a Parisian master craftsman who died in 1892, leaving his soon-to-be household name in the hands of his business-savvy son Georges) was a must-have for the ladies and gentlemen of the mid-19th century whose schedules involved year-long expeditions to far-flung corners of the Empire. The Vuitton trunk was the first to have a flat rather than a curved top to allow for easy stacking. Over the years myriad variations appeared: some opened to reveal beautifully lined drawers and hanging rails; others included a drop-down desk, while the company’s miniature trunks became, over time, the suitcases and vanity cases we use today. By the 1880s the Vuitton design had become so copied that Louis created a unique patterned leather to distinguish his craftsmanship. The Damier check — a chequerboard pattern usually in grey or brown, but at the time also available in red — remains a Vuitton signature.

Such is the iconic status of the trunk that next month a new exhibition, Volez, Voguez, Voyagez at the Grand Palais in Paris, will be dedicated to its history and influence on travel and luxury fashion. Not only are its tough metal hardware, leather straps, boxy design and signature monogram reflected in some of today’s trendiest luggage, but there is no shortage of turn-of-the-century Vuitton trunks that continue to sell for tens of thousands of pounds (more often, it should be said, to be used as stylish storage units in North London mansions, than to be packed for month-long stays with maharajas).

The Paris exhibition is a must for handbag lovers, too. Many of Vuitton’s most iconic bags, including the Speedy and the recent Petite Malle, are descended directly from luggage designed for that bygone era of travel. The distinctive soft, rounded Keepall Bandoulière bag, for example, was originally created for Vuitton clients who were flying in the newfangled light aircraft of the 1920s and 1930s. Now that’s what you call (mile) high fashion.