Gucci Train Bag

Long before trend-bucking creative director Alessandro Michele brought his hallucinatory “Utopian Fantasy” campaign to Gucci, it was a modest Italian leather shop. Today, it’s an internationally renowned luxury house with an iconic logo, and vintage Gucci clothing, handbags and shoes are among high fashion's most covetable goods.

Guccio Gucci (1881–1953) admired the stylish suitcases he saw wealthy guests arrive with at the Savoy Hotel in London, where he worked as a bellhop. So, in 1921, after a stint at Franzi, a luggage company in his hometown of Florence, he opened a leather goods shop of his own.

At first, Gucci’s Florence business specialized in equestrian accessories. But as its reputation flourished, particularly among the English aristocracy, so too did its footprint. In 1938, he brought three of his sons — Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo — into the business and expanded it to Rome and later Milan. In the mid-1930s, a League of Nations embargo against Italy pushed Gucci to experiment with alternatives to imported leather. Its woven hemp fabric from Naples, adorned with the brand’s signature diamond print, was a hit, especially among A-list celebrities. The material was first used on suitcases before finding enduring popularity on handbags. (No list of revered designer purses would be complete without Gucci.)

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Taylor carried one of Gucci’s bamboo-handled tote bags, another adaptation to material rationing. After Jackie Kennedy was seen sporting a slouchy Gucci tote in 1961, it was renamed for the First Lady. Then Grace Kelly, on a visit to the boutique in Milan, inspired Rodolfo Gucci to work with Italian illustrator and Gucci textile designer Vittorio Accornero on the Flora print in 1966. Taking cues from Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, with its pattern of flora and insects, it was painted entirely by hand and featured no fewer than 37 colors.

In 1953, just 15 days after opening his first store on New York’s 5th Avenue, Guccio passed away at 72. The early 1970s saw store openings in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but by the late 1980s, Gucci was floundering. Rodolfo Gucci took charge in 1982, but family drama and lawsuits ensued. In 1993, Rodolfo’s son, Maurizio, transferred his shares in the company to Investcorp, ending the family’s involvement in Gucci. Dawn Mello, then-president of Bergdorf Goodman, joined as creative director in 1989. But it was Tom Ford, who took over as creative director in 1994, who ultimately revived the brand.

Ford’s racy ads, shot by photographers such as Mario Testino, stirred controversy. And his potent vision of sexed-up femininity — with “jewel-toned satin shirts unbuttoned to there,” as Vogue described his breakthrough 1995 runway show — was wildly successful. The new millennium brought new ownership — Pinault Printemps Redoute in 2004 — and a more toned-down vision from Frida Giannini, who became sole creative director in 2006. Alessandro Michele was named creative director in 2015, and the storied brand took a giant leap forward.

Find vintage Gucci clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.

Why not add a dose of class to your travels even if you’re flying coach? With the broad range of sophisticated designer and vintage luggage available for sale on 1stDibs, packing and unpacking doesn’t have to be such a chore.

Let’s face it: Stuffing the car trunk or loading up your luggage before takeoff and then doing the opposite when you arrive is often the worst part of any trip, but there’s nothing stopping you from reintroducing the glamour and luxury that defined the so-called Golden Age of Travel.

Romanticized in recent years on hit TV shows such as Mad Men, the Golden Age of Travel generally began during the 1940s, when the big commercial airlines of 20th-century America deployed the newest in large airplanes to carry scores of usually well-dressed travelers to foreign destinations. This era of aspirational air travel was marked by luxurious in-flight dining, copious cocktails and high spirits, promoted in part by the sleek, graphically rich airline brochures and vibrantly colored illustrated travel posters that hung in the windows of travel agencies. Those drawn to the history of this now well-documented era — or those who lived it, having caught the travel bug thanks to revered magazines such as Holiday or the photography of Slim Aarons — will find lots to love in vintage travel bags and suitcases, particularly luggage that originated in the world’s best luxury fashion houses.

With top brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci offering their take on essential travel bags, every brisk walk through the airport can feel like a runway. After all, why would you want to hide all of the fun inside your suitcase when you could make a statement with its exterior?

Purchasing a first-class travel bag will render the idea of “living out of a suitcase” appealing. Any journey, be it to a summer hot spot or a cozy winter getaway, can be outfitted with functional and fashionable vintage and designer luggage thanks to a vast collection of 1970s, ’80s and ’90s suitcases and satchels available for sale on 1stDibs. With designs suited to your very particular personal travel style, you’ll rightfully have a hard time tucking these pieces into a closet when you return home.