As posh as bags can get

YESTERDAY in court Victoria Beckham told a jury of the horror of losing her luggage.

And it wasn't just any luggage. It came as no surprise that the luggage in question was a monogrammed set of Louis Vuitton cases. The label of choice for the young, rich and famous, anything with the distinctive embossed "LV" moniker is now a familiar sight on the arrivals carousel of some of the world's chicest destinations.

But it wasn't always so. Until four years ago, Louis Vuitton was the slightly fusty, rather bourgeois choice of the old guard - instantly recognisable, undeniably expensive but desperately uncool. Then, in 1997, hip New York designer Marc Jacobs arrived.

The man responsible for "Grunge" in the early 1990s was part of a new influx of designers being snapped up by staid old labels to inject that all-important youth factor. It had worked with Tom Ford at Gucci, John Galliano at Dior and Alexander McQueen at Givenchy - it could work for Louis Vuitton.

With a rich history to plunder - the label was established in 1854 by Georges Vuitton and had become the epitome of upper-deck ocean liner travel in the Twenties and Thirties - Jacobs set about reinventing the luxury goods label. Designing a capsule catwalk collection that would sit effortlessly with the all-important accessory line was no easy task. His first few collections may have been criticised for being purely a blank canvas to show off the bags and shoes - which they patently were - but a few seasons on, Jacobs hit his stride. The clothes, and Jacobs' reworked accessories, were cool, luxurious and trend-setting, and, most importantly, young.

The Beckhams, Catherine Zeta Jones, Martine McCutcheon, Liz Hurley - the list is endless - all own a piece of the stuff. Go bag spotting on Bond Street, or any high street for that matter, and you are bound to notch at least a couple of "LV" sightings within minutes. Even those who haven't the disposable income of Victoria Beckham are prepared to save up for a little piece of Vuitton luxury it seems.

The clothing line still only amounts to very desirable window- dressing; the bags and luggage are what really matters. Prices for the smallest handbag start from around 270 and soar to an eye- watering 9,000 for a wardrobe trunk. Then there are the special orders - an ostrich-skin cigar trunk, anyone? If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it - Louis Vuitton is one "luxury" label that lives up to the title, and its bags and shoes never go on sale at the Bond Street store. Part of the fashion juggernaut LVMH, Louis Vuitton's profits for 1999 were more than a whopping 1.2 billion.

If you get tired of that 13-piece monogrammed luggage set there is always something new to tempt the incredibly well-heeled international traveller.

Louis Vuitton's grained Epi-leather - the ocean-liner travelling class's favourite back in the Twenties - was revived in 1985 in bright, primary shades and is still a favourite. Not enough instantly recognisable logo impact? Why not go for the "Damier" chequerboard print design, reworked by Jacobs. Need to spell it out? Stephen Sprouse's witty update of the house logo in bold graffiti scrawl for the latest spring/summer 2001 collection should do the trick, although there are only five pieces in production at present. Reassuringly expensive, the graffiti-print hatbox starts at around 920, overnight bag 410 and small handbag 290. Soon to be seen at an airport near you.

Copyright 2001
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