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Luggage has a tendency to linger in the backs of cupboards long past its sell-by date, brought out to air a few times a year and rarely replaced until it’s visibly falling apart. And I, more than anyone, am guilty of this. I’ve held onto suitcases with missing wheels and a broken telescopic handle that threatened to blind anyone who tried to use it because ‘it will come in handy when I move house.’ Spoiler alert: it did not.
Easter might fall late this year, but there are two bank holidays and a half-term (and then the summer holidays) all hot on its heels. It means ample opportunity to get away for a couple of days or a long weekend, at home or abroad — so consider this your much-needed PSA to buy a new bag, or two, that’s fit for public viewing.
Last week, RIMOWA released a limited edition ‘Holiday’ collection of briefcase-looking cabin cases in three high gloss primary colours. The design was inspired by one of the brand's bags from 1988 — and one that was among the first to stray from conservative blacks, browns and dark blues. Now, we're not suggesting you purchase a whole new suite of luggage in clashing tones and turn the airport carousel into a Dulux paint chart, but a smaller pop of colour, here and there, will never go amiss. With that in mind, here’s a round-up of some of the bolder holdall and cabin bags on the market right now to help usher in the warmer months and your sunny sojourns.
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'This wild stretch of Chilean wasteland gives you what other National Parks cannot — a confounding sense of loneliness': One writer's odyssey to the end of the worldWhere else on Earth can you find more than 752,000 acres of splendid isolation? Words and pictures by Luke Abrahams.
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The man who trekked Bhutan, Mongolia, Japan, Tasmania and New Zealand to bring the world's greatest magnolias back to Kent : 'A whirlwind of charm and energy... and a prince among plantsmen'Magnolias don't get any more magnificent than the examples in the garden at White House Farm in Kent, home of Maurice Foster. Many of them were collected as seed in the wild — and they are only one aspect of his enthralling garden.
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The brilliant Bugattis: Sculpture, silverware, furniture and the fastest cars in the worldA new exhibition at this year's Treasure House Fair will shine a light on the many talents of the Bugatti dynasty.
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Jumping hours, guichets and visual theatre: The biggest trend from Watches and Wonders explainedMiniature window displays replaced traditional watch hands at this year's Watches and Wonders fair.
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On His Majesty's Not-So Secret Service: Aston Martin receives Royal Warrant from The KingOn His Majesty's not particularly secret service.
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Terrifying or tremendous? Spend a night at the National Gallery beneath some of the world’s most famous artworksBacchus, his girlfriend Ariadne, Fighting Temeraire and a few sunflowers seek roommate for one night only. No smokers or pets. Rent free.
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Defender OCTA: Land Rover's classic car, reimagined. And then reimagined again, with 626BHPWhy did Land Rover stick a 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 in a Defender? Because why not.
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Five takeaways from Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025Country Life’s Luxury Editor, and our eyes and ears on the Geneva ground, reports back from the watch industry’s biggest event of the year.
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‘To grasp the momentousness of the reopening, one must understand the place The Frick holds in the hearts of New Yorkers’: Inside the splendour of Fifth Avenue’s beloved galleryThe beloved NYC art museum’s ‘renovation and enhancement project’ manages to both assure and astonish.
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A remarkable $100 million numismatic collection reappears after being buried for more than 50 yearsA collector hid his treasure from the Nazis, his widow kept it secret for decades, but now Roman aurei, Greek staters and British pounds so rare that some have never been sold at public auction have resurfaced and will go under the hammer.
