Travel in style

MANILA, Philippines - Good old quality storytelling aside, one of the things that made Jason Reitman’s 2010 film Up in the Air so pleasurable was a love for

traveling — and the trunks, suitcases, and packing process that come with it — and it was so intense it bordered on fetishism.

The always-debonair George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a devout bachelor and jet-setting businessman who makes his living firing employees for downsizing companies. Reitman and Clooney deliver the pathos where it hurts, creating a kind of existential commentary on contemporary existence. But it is Ryan’s swift but systematic traveling rituals that make the first few scenes light up. Set against a folk pop background, it’s the kind of movie that makes even the most jaded traveler remember the awe and wonder he once felt about traveling. As Ryan chalks up his frequent flyer miles, you fall deeper and deeper back into love with your traveling rituals.

From July 15 to August 5, luxury icon Louis Vuitton unveils just the kind of exhibit Ryan would probably salivate over. Historical trunks, antique toys and poetic photography images make their way to the “Louis Vuitton – Trunks and Toys” Exhibition in Manila. The traveling trunk exhibit, held at Greenbelt Mall in Makati City, celebrates the Maison’s tradition of craftsmanship and heritage of travel culture.

The event testifies to Louis Vuitton’s leadership in French luxury and the art of travel, evidenced by its creations of revolutionary trunks, boxes, luggage and travel bags. All these facilitate stylish journeys and adventurous expeditions from the last century to its later extension into travel journals, city guides and game sets which have been the best travel companions today.

Visitors to the exhibition will discover 10 mini scenes incorporating an antique trunk and a vintage toy, both from the Louis Vuitton Museum in Asnières, Paris, and a poetic image by top French photographer Jean Larivière.

Ten rare and well-preserved antique trunks from the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris, among which the oldest dates back to circa 1885, have been flown in to showcase the Malletier’s pioneering vision and manufacturing inventions. This was in tandem with the birth of cross-continental travel by railway and sea in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The latest addition, the Louis Vuitton special order “Malle Mars” is also on display, depicting a hypothetical trunk for space travel to Mars. This unique piece showcases Louis Vuitton’s innovation for tradition and modernity.

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The “Trunks and Toys” Exhibition will run from July 15 to August 5 at 2/F Gallery, Greenbelt 5, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.