A pair of absolutely beautiful vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases with an amazing story! They feature the classic Louis Vuitton monogram and brown leather details with a light interior. The internal straps have Louis Vuitton woven into them and Louis Vuitton embossed on the hardware. They date back to approximately the 1950s and the leather shows the most beautiful patina that you only get with true vintage items.
This set was owned and used by Aileen Plunket (Born Aileen Guinness) who was the daughter of Ernest Guinness and granddaughter of Edward Guinness, head of the Guinness brewing company and the richest man in Ireland. She was a well-known socialite known as one of the Golden Guinness girls - always the life of the party as she refused to be boring.
The small suitcase has Aileen's address label on it with her address at Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin which her father bought her for her wedding in 1924. She lived in Luttrellstown Castle until 1983 and in that time, she redecorated it and was famous for the parties she threw there - she even made the basement into a nightclub!
When Aileen sold Luttrellstown Castle in 1983, most of the contents of the castle and her belongings were auctioned by Christie's but these suitcases were not included in the catalogue, suggesting that she chose to take them with her. Looking through the catalogue gives you a view into what the castle was like and one can only dream to have been a fly on the wall for one of Aileens parties or imagine her Louis Vuitton suitcases being packed for a new adventure in their luxurious surroundings.
The exciting story of these suitcases continues to this day as they were recently featured on Channel 4's 'The Greatest Auction' with AJ Odudu, featuring the most extraordinary and valuable items.
These lovely vintage suitcases have been well used and show the wear of their history which is part of their charm. One can only imagine the adventures this set has gone on with Aileen and the places they've seen. They still have life left in them for new adventures or would make beautiful display pieces in any home.