Accessories: Travel Carry-On Bags from 31 Corn Lane, LeSportsac, and Surface to Air

So if you know me in real life, you'll know that I'm been completely blathering and excited about my upcoming trip to Thailand and other Southeast Asian destinations this month. (Um, anyone know of cool fashion destinations in Phnom Penh?) This means opportunities to indulge in eating some of the world's best street food, perusing the best of emerging Thai fashion (current dominant inspirations: Marni, Chloe and Marc Jacobs), cruising the film industry opportunities, trying to figure out why Thai whiskey is so watery and hanging out with my crazy yet lovable family. But this also means: travel accessories! (I already have the packing bit down.) Travel accessories are some of my favorite things to buy, allowing me to indulge my fantasies of being a jet-setting, glamorously louche adventurer a la Lee Miller in her war photographer phase or Beryl Markham in her aviatrix phase or Martha Geller in her hard-boiled reporter phase. I love travel accessories, everything from luggage tags to toiletry cases to weird shrink-wrap plastic bags that you stuff your clothes in and roll up so that all the air shrinks out of them so you can pack more clothes. And I love carry-on bags. I'm really picky, however, because I can't stand anything impractical (it does have to traverse oceans, after all.) And I hate logos (tacky, ghastly, and will get your luggage stolen more often than not). So, to quote Natasha Khan, what's a girl to do?

This usually means, for me, the army-navy store, because they are rugged, handsome yet inexpensive and they earn looks of respect from equally rugged, handsome photojournalist types around the world. While deep down I know I'll be true to my affection for army-navy goods, I still like to fantasize about fancier, girlier things. I mean, who doesn't want to traipse around the world with this adorable bag from 31 Corn Lane slung on their shoulder?

Sure, it has horses and hearts on it, but with its neutral color palette and small pattern, it is much more subtle -- more whimsical than childish, if you will. Of course, a girl can never go wrong with LeSportsac, either. (Note: the last time I went to Thailand, LeSportsac was the number one most requested fashion-y item from my gaggle of female cousins. That, and various Maybelline and CoverGirl mascaras: apparently American mascara rocks.) For awhile they had this lovely silhouette pattern that reminded my of the Kara Walker exhibition this fall at the Whitney (but without the incendiary racial imagery, of course.) I missed the boat on that, but I do like this charming, arty Etch print weekender bag as well:

While those bags have a girlish charm, there's nothing more luxe than this Surface to Air aviator-style bag, available at the amazing Chicago boutique Hefjina. It has the tomboyish, ragamuffin appeal of the army-navy bags I am so fond of, but there is an elegance to the materials and proportions. This is for the part of my travel persona that checks into fancy hotels and drinks Scotch at the bar while glaring cynically into the middle distance. It is tough and sexy, but sadly, it's $514.

Posted by Kat in Accessories
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