The hardcase as handbag 2013 2014

The hardcase as handbag: vintage luggage inspires for fall.

  

Conjure up vintage nostalgia, the excitement of travel or the romance of a weekend country getaway with structured luggage styles as handbags. On the fall 2013 2014 runways the likes of Honor, Louis Vuitton and Hermes put structure into accessories in a way that channels days gone by - and reignites a love of vintage-style leather goods. Read more after the break

When postcards and polaroids were the way to share memories and exotic places were still unexplored, travel was something exclusive, exciting, romantic. That excitement and romance could be folded neatly and packed into a little leather hardcase, and plastered with stickers like mementoes of places been and things seen. To this day it doesn’t matter if it’s an elegant overnight travel case to take a girl from city to country, or a rectangular piece of monogrammed luggage to carry onto a train or plane, there’s a definite vintage nostalgia to a structured carry case and connotations of travel that go with it.

With fall 2013 2014 fashion revisiting many an era past, it’s not really surprising that luggage styles have made it to the runway in lieu of handbags.

Structured hard cases: the shapes

It’s more about the mood than a specific shape, but here are a few of the key styles to look out for:

• Vintage style round cases or hat box styles
• Miniature rectangle suitcases
• Briefcase styles that are more luxury than corporate
• Vintage style travel cases (usually rectangular, deep and with handle on top, used for carrying toiletries as opposed to clothing)

Luggage handbag styles on the runway

Louis Vuitton’s fall 2012 runway was propped with vintage-style round cases. In true lady-of-luxury style, they were carried not by the models but by conscientious bellhops. Marc Jacobs’ structured accessories for LV came in reptile leathers and traditional colours – with the addition of some bling to their handles as a reminder that they may be vintage-inspired, but they’re firmly planted in the glitz of the modern day.

Honor’s fall 2013 2014 collection had a vintage mood that was matched by hardcases as handbags. These had a feminine innocence; less about careless adventure and more a feel of young girls growing up and heading out into the world, belongings packed and train a-waiting on the platform. The femininity of Honor’s dresses keeps these from feeling too strict or corporate.