Louis Vuitton ICONS: The Wardrobe Trunk

Tangier, Spring 1912


The crossing from Malaga was rough but there were no major incidents. An angry breaker, at the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, had almost caused a disaster when eleven trunks, clumsily stored beside a bay, had fallen to the bottom of the hold. Luckily his Louis Vuitton Wardrobe was undamaged. Which was just as well -- he thought of his neatly folded evening dress, packed next to a cream linen lounge suit, and realized he still didn't know if a hat was to be worn for the reception given by the Minister Plenipotentiary.

He nevertheless wore the confident smile of a man who is prepared for any eventuality...

The first Wardrobes created in 1875 were built using very sturdy wooden frames and leather or coated canvas coverings that could stand up to anything. What set the Wardrobe apart from competition was its perfect rectangular proportions, the solid hinges and studding, the hanging section for suits and dresses, the drawers for personal items and hats, and the "unpickable" lock and its dedicated key. The last word in hard luggage, the Wardrobe represents the ultimate union of form and function.

(The 11 posts included in the LV ICONS series are excerpts from the ©Louis Vuitton Icons look book released in September 2006; with Photographs by ©Thomas Lagrange, ©Laurent Bremaud, ©Vogue, ©Roger-Viollet, ©Agence France Presse and Words by ©Stephane Gerschel)