What your airport bag says about you, plus the best styles to buy from £15
When actor Jacob Elordi and his mother cruised through Sydney Airport recently, it was clear that they’d missed – or perhaps boldly disregarded – the “stealth wealth” memo. Elordi carried not one but two Bottega Veneta bags, while his mum carried an Andiamo Voyager, a canvas and leather holdall also from the Italian luxury fashion house. Together, the trio would set you back around £14,600.
Elordi, who has become something of an airport style pin-up of late, is far from the only celebrity toting stratospherically priced arm candy through passport control. Just look at Mary-Kate Olsen, who once carried an estimated £60,500 worth of Alligator bags from The Row, the brand she founded with her twin sister, through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). And who could forget David and Victoria Beckham, who memorably made moving walkways their catwalk throughout the Nineties and Noughties, frequently laden with monogrammed Louis Vuitton luggage.
Whether you consider all this ludicrously ostentatious or the height of chic, it undeniably shows that an airport tote – the second bag you might carry in addition to an overhead cabin bag – can speak volumes about the traveller bearing it. From Jane Birkin bringing a touch of whimsy to Heathrow with a wicker basket in 1971, to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley gliding through LAX with nothing more than a Saint Laurent Sac De Jour, the carry-on has long been the crowning glory of airport dressing.
“Our hand luggage is a companion that quietly (but clearly) demonstrates what we care about,” says Gillian Tusting, whose understated, handmade in England bags have been carried by the likes of the Princess of Wales and Katie Holmes. “While every choice strikes a balance between function, form and obeying the pesky aircraft size rules, our choice of hand luggage will likely display our tribe, whether we intend it to or not.” So, what message is your second bag sending (other than a clear message to ground staff that it will slot effortlessly those awful metal restriction baskets)?
The frequent flier: a piece of hotel merch
If your airport tote happens to be a piece of hotel merch, your fellow passengers will deduce that you’re proficient in air mile strategy and a regular at lounges across the globe. Cate Blanchett recently became the poster girl for this tribe while touching down at JFK with a simple red case topped with a green striped cotton tote, £15, by Kit Kemp, the design force behind the Firmdale Hotels group.
A piece purchased or pinched from a smart hotel is a subtle nod to the in-the-know – just ask travel writer and stylish jetsetter Gina Jackson. “I’m currently using a sturdy leather tote that was gifted to me by The Upper House in Hong Kong, one of my favourite hotels in the world,” she says. “It’s durable and fits everything in it – and I love how it’s stylish without being flashy.” Those of us who aren’t regulars at five-star hotels can buy into this, no check-in required, thanks to stores like Issimo, the chic online outpost of Italy’s Pellicano Hotels group.
The tech bro: a Mandarina Duck backpack
Paired with a Zuckerberg-inspired Brunello Cucinelli T-shirt and a gilet – the tech bro’s chestplate – the Mandarina Duck might as well be a one-way ticket to Silicon Valley. Functionality is everything for those brandishing this backpack, which is presumably stocked with a limitless supply of power banks. While it might be known for lightweight rubberised bags, the brand has fashion chops, too, having launched in Bologna in 1977 and maintained a commitment to high-quality materials ever since.
The lead organiser: a Longchamp Le Pliage
Has a handbag ever exuded more of an air of assured organisation than Longchamp’s Le Pliage? The foldaway canvas tote has been a favourite of It girls and, latterly, Noughties fashion enthusiasts, not to mention the royals. The Princess of Wales favours the classic black iteration, while Princess Anne was seen carrying the navy version off a plane on a trip to Sri Lanka last year.
Throughout various eras and revivals, Le Pliage has remained the travel tote of choice for the enviably organised. It’s a washable workhorse of a bag that will take you seamlessly from office to Heathrow T5. Detractors would point out its inconvenient lack of interior pockets, but this is irrelevant to lead organiser types, who have a wealth of leather travel wallets and passport holders at their disposal. Why stray from a classic, they might well ask, but Longchamp does have some modern updates worthy of consideration.
The hassled parent: a trunki
Entrepreneur Rob Law might have botched his original Dragons’ Den pitch, but he nevertheless went on to sell more than five million of the popular ride-on suitcase known to parents everywhere as a trunki. Those who are all too familiar with the bestselling design will know and love its wipe-clean plastic exterior, but even the uninitiated will recognise its colourful aesthetic and convenient pull-strap design. Whether it’s a classic cerulean and chartreuse “Terrance Trunki” or perhaps a newer polka-dot “Harley the Ladybird” take, the message is clear: you’ve suffered enough.
The seriously in need of a holiday: a Dragon Diffusion tote
The basket bag of choice for the style set, Dragon Diffusion’s woven leather creations can make even the most mundane of commutes feel like an airport transfer. Handcrafted using traditional techniques, there’s no denying the quality of these pieces. However, using one as your airport tote does imply that this holiday might be somewhat overdue. Plus, the lack of zip, button or any kind of closure means the (presumably chic) contents are in danger of spilling out onto a grubby airport floor. Luckily, the bearer won’t care – they’ve well and truly entered holiday mode.
