Traveling with your fave designer duo

MANILA, Philippines - Few things make as strong a statement during travel as your luggage. A compact suitcase probably means you’re a business traveler and expect to return within a few days. A wildly patterned suitcase means you want to stand out from the crowd — or have probably been a victim of suitcase confusion (you know, when you accidentally unload luggage from the conveyor belt that looks exactly like yours, only to be confronted by an irate traveler accusing you of theft). A balikbayan box says you’re serious about pasalubong — or, if you’re anything like my parents, a fan of purchasing pillows and canned goods abroad. A set of Samsonite Black Label Viktor & Rolf luggage means you’re rolling in taste — and dough.

Designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren recently partnered with Samsonite to create a line of luggage inspired by the jetset ’50s and ’60s. Think Leonardo Di Caprio in that delightful film Catch Me If You Can, as he bedded chicks left and right (Jennifer Garner as a gullible call girl and a giggling Ellen Pompeo, pre-Grey’s Anatomy, as a charming flight attendant) and lived the jetset life — minus the fraud and eventual prison time, of course. 

“We want to celebrate the world as the world of your dreams,” shares Viktor & Rolf. “Our message is aimed at everybody who is attracted to this dream world. We believe in ambivalence, in glamour, in hope and in beauty.”

The duo created a set of luggage in black and in a signature print, a playful vintage airplane pattern in scarlet and blue. The line consists of suitcases, boarding bags and beauty cases. Computer and tote bags, with additional features like compartments for laptops and separate pockets for Blackberry and mobile phones, make the journey more pleasurable for even the most weary of business travelers.

Thanks to Viktor & Rolf, flying the friendly skies just got a lot more stylish.

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In the Philippines, Samsonite retail stores are operated by Samsonite Philippines Inc., and Samsonite collections are available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Tower, Rustan’s Gateway, Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Eastwood Mall, Podium, and SM Mall of Asia. For more stylishly reliable bags and luggage, visit www.samsonite.com.

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E-mail me at jackieoflash@gmail.com.