Capacious travel bags for navigating airport departures in style
Roomy, wear-forever weekend and travel bags that come with the Wallpaper* seal of approval, from clean-lined briefcases and raffia totes to capacious carry-alls
Face the travails of travel with capacious getaway bags that do the heavy lifting – whether navigating airport delays or lost hold luggage, these roomy, wear-forever weekend bags will carry much more than you’ll ever need.
Photographed by Rosie Harriet Ellis and styled by Wallpaper* fashion and creative director by Jason Hughes, we select the season’s best travel bags – from minimal briefcases and raffia totes to roomy carry-alls from the likes of Prada, Hermès, Ferragamo and more – as first seen in the June Travel Issue of Wallpaper* (on newsstands now).
Summer’s best weekend and travel bags
Air travel: Keep the air flowing with this top-handle tote by historic Brussels-based brand Delvaux – the luggage house was first founded in 1829 – which features a perforated exterior to keep your belongings cool. It takes its cue from Delvaux’s 1946 perforated Avia suitcase, made for then-burgeoning air travel, and comes in a smaller ‘Pin Airess’ iteration.
The ‘Airess’ shopping bag is coming soon. The ‘Pin Airess’ is available now from delvaux.com.
Clean lines: An architectural sensibility informs this elongated riff on the shopping bag by Valentino Garavani, which in its minimal, no-fuss design makes for a chic travel companion which will pair with any airport attire (though we suggest teaming with classic blue denim). Meanwhile, a shoulder strap can be added for the inevitable dash to the gate.
Valentino Garavani’s ‘Tagged’ shopping bag is available from valentino.com
The holy trinity: When it comes to travel, there are few occasions when just a single bag will do. This trio of a classic ridged-aluminium suitcase Rimowa (which doubles as a perching stool for crowded airport lounges), the roomy carry-all ‘Sea’ tote by Connelly (crafted from soft French nubuck leather) and Loro Piana’s Ghiera shoulder bag (for the most precious belongings) is our holy trinity.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The Rimowa ’Original Carry On’ suitcase is available from rimowa.com. The Connelly ‘Sea’ bag is available from connollyengland.com. Loro Piano’s ‘Ghiera’ shoulder bag is available from loropiana.com.
Celine’s Plein Soleil: Each summer, Parisian house Celine embraces the lightness of summer with its ‘Plein Soleil’ collection, an eclectic gathering of clothing, accessories and objets (from beach ball bats to hammocks). These include a roomy raffia tote intricately woven with the house’s double-C motif, the perfect companion to Celine’s timeless monogrammed luggage.
Celine’s Plein Soleil and luggage collections are available at celine.com.
Sleep aid: Though it might usually be sacrilegious to rest your head on a Prada handbag, this duo of tote bags from the house are particularly appealing in their tactile nappa-leather construction and generous proportions. The ‘Buckle’ handbag – shown in foreground – is a particularly luxurious (and roomy) travel buddy, looping around the top with a belt-like fastening and stamped with the house’s logo in embossed gold leaf.
Prada’s ‘Buckle’ handbag is available from prada.com.
Cooling power: Harness the cooling power of white this summer with this slouchy, oversized version of Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello’s ‘Le 5 à 7’ handbag, complete with a monogram clasp. A truly capacious style – the collapsible edges fold outwards to transform it from tote to trapezoid shopper – we recommend as a particularly sumptuous play on the beach bag.
Saint Laurent’s ‘Le 5 à 7’ handbag is available from ysl.com.
Earn your stripes: Ferragamo has long been known for its work in leather – the Florentine house began as a shoemaker in 1927 – though recent seasons have seen British creative director Maximilian Davis breathe new life into the medium with enticing, oftentimes colourful accessories. Case in point, the squashy-sided white tote crafted from vegetable-dyed leather with a bold blue stripe, recalling the colour of glorious summer skies.
Ferragamo’s blue-strip tote bag is available from ferragamo.com.
Arm architecture: Contemporary Italian leather goods brand Valextra is defined by its minimal, architectural approach to accessory design – one echoed by its design-minded stores, from the monumental marble interiors of its John Pawson-designed Milan flagship to a Kyoto outpost housed in a former machiya teahouse. The ‘Milano’ bag – in soft Millepunte calfskin with a suede lining – represents the very pinnacle of Valextra’s leather atelier, its elegant top-handle style inspired by its namesake city.
Valextra’s ‘Milano’ bag is available from valextra.com.
Carry all: though we are largely proponents of a less-is-more approach when it comes to packing, long-haul departures require a panoply of objects to aid in arriving in your destination fresh. An open-top tote has always been our airport bag of choice – allowing you to access your belongings without fiddly zips and buttons – like this calfskin shopper by Brunello Cucinelli, whereby two internal ties allow the bag to shape-shift to your needs.
Brunello Cucinelli’s calfskin shopper is available from brunellocucinelli.com.
Models: Celine at Ikon Model Management, Hamaam Pelewura at Elite London, Tim V at D1Lon. Casting: Jonathan Johnson. Hair: Mike O’Gorman using Sam McKnight. Make-up: Nina Sagri using Ranavat. Manicure: Edyta Betka using Kure Bazaar. Set design: Kei Yoshino at Bryant Artists. Interiors: Olly Mason. Photography assistants: Garth McKee, Genoveva Arteaga-Rynn. Fashion assistant: Lucy Proctor. Set assistant: Ryosuke Hirano. Interiors assistants: Archie Thomson, Ady Huq. Digital and retouching: David Barreiro.
A version of this article appears in the June 2024 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.
-
Apple’s new Mac mini is a pocket-sized powerhouse thanks to the M4 processor
With the new Mac mini, Apple has squeezed its M4 and M4 Pro processors into the smallest conceivable footprint, physically and environmentally. Apple insiders tell us how
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
One to Watch: EJM Studio’s stool is inspired by the humble church pew
EJM Studio’s ‘Pew’ stool reimagines the traditional British church seating with a modern, eco-conscious twist
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Hong Kong brutalism explored: tour the island with this new architectural map
Hong Kong brutalism is brought into sharp focus through the launch of Brutalist Hong Kong Map, the latest of its kind in publisher Blue Crow Media’s 20th-century architecture series
By Yoko Choy Published
-
Hedi Slimane to leave Celine after seven years; Michael Rider named as successor
Hedi Slimane will leave Celine after a seven-year tenure as artistic, creative and image director across fashion, beauty and lifestyle at the French couture house, with Michael Rider – an alumnus of Phoebe Philo’s Celine – named as his successor
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Hedi Slimane’s latest Celine collection is an homage to the leading ladies of 1960s France: watch the film
Inspired by listening to The Velvet Underground and Nico while re-reading Françoise Sagan, Hedi Slimane pays ode to legendary French it-girls like Sagan, Françoise Hardy and Juliette Gréco with a collection rooted in the liberatory spirit of the 1960s
By Jack Moss Published
-
A guide to the best fashion stores London has to offer
Wallpaper* picks the must-visit London fashion stores – from big-name boutiques and classic department stores to the best in vintage, alongside the sleek and experimental
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Hedi Slimane takes Celine to Norfolk for ‘Anglomania’ menswear collection: watch the film
Inspired by Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Bright Young Things’, Hedi Slimane’s latest Celine menswear collection is captured by the designer in a romantic short film set at the Palladian Holkham Hall on England’s Norfolk coastline
By Jack Moss Published
-
Why solid soap is the most pleasurable object to bathe with
Solid soap provides a tactile bathing experience like no other. Hannah Tindle explores why in the September 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, with soaps by Chanel, Celine, Diptyque, and more, photographed by Sophie Gladstone
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
In fashion: the defining looks and trends of the A/W 2024 collections
We highlight the standout moments of the A/W 2024 season, from scrunched-up gloves and seductive leather ties to cocooning balaclavas and decadent feathers
By Jack Moss Published
-
’What is the life of a woman?’: Nadège Vanhée on a decade of womenswear at Hermès
For the past ten years, Nadège Vanhée, head of womenswear at Hermès, has steered the French maison on a quietly rebellious path, exploring notions of contemplation, liberation and sensuality. Speaking to fashion features editor Jack Moss, she unpacks her evolution
By Jack Moss Published
-
Wallpaper* September 2024, The Style Issue, is on newsstands now: discover the looks of the season
Wallpaper* September 2024, The Style Issue, heralds sensual dressing for the season ahead. Hear from Dior’s Kim Jones, Hermès’ Nadège Vanhée, and tour Karl Lagerfeld’s bookshop
By Bill Prince Published