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Bag that thang up
Carry on, carry on
By CHRISTINE LIU
del.ico.us
reddit!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the golden age of travel is long gone. Airports are fraught with anxiety (and we're not even talking about the realization at security that there's an egregious hole in your sock), with ever-rising fares, ever-minimizing snacks, ever-shrinking legroom and ever-expanding seatmates. To add insult to injury, now one must pay to check in luggage on American Airlines—with, ostensibly, more lines to follow. Sheesh. What's a weary traveler to do? Pack it up in a bangin' carry-on and leave the baggage claim waiting game to the birds.
SAMSONITE BLACK LABEL BY ALEXANDER MCQUEEN HERO AI1 UPRIGHT
Yeah, so what if it's about the same price as flying halfway around the world? (Or, perhaps California by the time this goes to print.) This wheeled wonder is nothing less than a designer masterpiece courtesy of Mister McQueen. Most dramatic when rendered in ivory "bone" (cue the color palette artist feeling smug), the ribs and spine construct an eerie hard-cased cavity in which you stuff your precious things—i.e., constructing the heart. The form also poses an interesting take on passenger transparency. Just don't blame us if you get frisked on the principle of pure, kickass creepiness.
[Available for $775 at Samsonite Black Label, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617.236.0429. samsoniteblacklabel.com]
ORLA KIELY TRIPP MEDIUM UPRIGHT
British textile artist Orla Kiely wields her bright, playful genius to jet-setting as well as hand-bagging and wallet-toting. A tiled pattern of head-on cars (stare into those piercing headlights if you dare) sets the tone for travel, while stem-print cotton lining and leather trims establish a tidy vintage profile. You could go completely overboard with hauling the entire collection—cabin upright, wheeled duffle, large tote—but for the sake of your retinas, we wouldn't recommend it.
[Available for $397 through special order at Moxie, 51 Charles St., Boston. 617.557.9991. moxieboston.com]
ARTIST SERIES JANSPORT TROLLEY
We vaguely recall slugging a JanSport backpack in grade school, resplendent with friendship pins, Sharpie doodles and broken sticks of graphite, but the rugged brand busts out a more creative side with its recent Artist Series. "Limited edition" design collaborations with "underground artists" graffitist JoeX2 and illustrator Julie West (shown here) produces high-quality luggage that won't stir fears of releasing latent middle school trauma.
[Available for $179 at Flight 001. flight001.com]
