A Louis By Any Other Name ...

A friend of mine swears his luggage is consistently first onto the airport-baggage carousel because it's Louis Vuitton. I smile supportively at his insistence, but in truth am skeptical, my cynicism rooted in the notion that baggage handlers are more likely to steal a piece of LV rather than coddle it and its owner (I have had perfume and jewelry purloined from my suitcase, hence my trust issues). This is what occurred to me when I saw that Louis Vuitton is expanding its Mon Monogram program, a personalization service that allows you to customize certain coveted pieces of Vuitton. Launched in 2008, Mon Monogram initially (no pun intended) applied to LV's two most iconic bags, the top-handle Speedy and the duffle-like Keepall. But in June the company extended the service to both the classic and business version of its Pegasse 55 rolling suitcase (classic seen here; price without monogram: $2,490). In addition to two-tone initials up to three letters, you also choose either vertical or diagonal stripes from a range of 17 different colors. I've never been good at math (a reason I work in fashion), so I trust LV's press reps when they note that such choices result in more than 200 million possible combinations per bag. A nifty computer program at an LV boutique allows you to see what the resulting custom piece will look like before you hand over your black card, likely so you won't suffer any post-order regrets about that fuchsia-magenta stripe combo. Once your credit card is swiped, your order speeds its way to the closest LV workshop, where your personalized bag is handcrafted, a process that could take from six to eight weeks. But really, aren't the best things in life worth the wait? Unless, of course, you're standing at an airport carousel; and what baggage handler wants a pricey suitcase if it's sporting your initials? That alone makes it a worthy investment ...