We present a considered selection of practical yet elegant accessories, for those yet to embark on their annual leave
As August comes to a close, so too does the month where the most regular response to an email is an Out of Office and Instagram is exclusively a stream of carefully-curated holiday snaps. However, those preparing to embark on an off-season minibreak (or, less peacefully, fashion month) can learn more than just how to artfully position a cocktail from those who have spent abundant time abroad over the summer months. Here, we present some tried-and-tested travel accessories for those yet to take their annual leave: both the chic-est and the most practical alternatives to those horrible plastic bags that they dish out at security.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton’s heritage is firmly rooted in luxury travel – remember, the house was initially a trunk-maker – and so it is of little surprise that their offering is excellent. Of course there is the monogrammed luggage, the portable wardrobes and the perfectly-formed travel trunks, but for those looking to transport their diamonds (or costume jewellery) in style, they have created a patent leather jewel case complete with pockets, a ring organiser and a plush protective pillow. If you are packing an assortment of watches to complement your various outfits, the watch case is a necessary addition to your arsenal (it holds three men’s and four women’s), and the daily organiser is designed to carry all the ephemera you might need for the airport: banknotes, passport and 21 credit cards for those anticipating a spree at duty free. Finally, no truly luxuriant beach holiday is truly complete without a monogrammed LV towel: not only is it huge, but it will command a certain presence if you’re going somewhere fabulous.
Smythson
There are few ordeals more dramatic than when you arrive at the airport thinking that you might have forgotten your passport. There is no chance of that happening if you invest in one of Smythson’s travel wallets, purely because they are so good that you’ll never leave them anywhere. They come in an endless selection of colours, skins, and graphic prints – plus, with compartments for documents, tickets, boarding passes and assorted currency, they make for a thoroughly practical travel companion as well as being aesthetically delightful. They also perfectly complement the Smythson Travel Diaries, which are enough to inspire D.H. Lawrence-level journaling. The combination will make your trip infinitely more glamorous, and may be the start of a career as a travelling novelist.
Anya Hindmarch
Anya Hindmarch’s transparent in-flight case is the perfect solution to the eternal dilemma of hand luggage liquid transportation: it is designed to suit airport requirements, is divided into sections for ‘take off’ and ‘touch down’ and means you never need to spend £1 on a jiffy bag at security again. For those who require more than 20x20cm for their cosmetics, the vanity kit is equally handy and comes complete with an abundance of different compartments for everything you might need. Anya herself is obsessed with organisation, and thus the brand also offers a travel pouch custom designed to fit all of your cables and chargers, a baby emergency kit (with partitions for clean cloths, lotions and wipes) and another with labelled pockets for all of your sun care. Nothing is left to chance, and so you needn't fret about forgetting anything: if you invest in the lot, everything you might possibly need has its place.
