Does everyone need Louis Vuitton Luggage?
To all of my house managers, personal assistants, and companions you can easily recall a time a client called upon your expertise and advice when they go to make a decision. Whether it be fashion, event, or otherwise; you add value to them by being knowledgeable across many avenues of luxury and quality aspects of life. As we continue our “Learning Luxury” series, I want to discuss the topic of what a good quality piece of luggage means to you and your boss, and also how to care for as you would any other of the belongings within the estate.
Having worked in many estates, mansions, and luxurious residences; without a doubt you have seen beautiful luggage and baggage. If your current or future employer is going to ask your opinion on luggage or ask you to go buy them additional pieces (trusting your judgement), what would you do? I think most readers that may not work at an estate or work with high net worth families as their staff would be surprised at some of the options and choices we will explore in this post.
If you are fantasizing the life of the “rich and famous” you are probably thinking about a reality TV show when the cast took a trip somewhere and the camera always pans to the beautiful, high-end luxury luggage. Probably the most noteworthy luggage we often see on TV associated with luxury is Louis Vuitton, you would be surprised that while they have excellent products and materials, many of the high net worth families we work with for domestic staffing utilize other noteworthy names more often than not.
Many of the name brands we see within the closets of families we provide domestic staffing to include brands such as: Tumi, Rimowa, and even Samsonite, Globe Trotter, and Briggs & Riley.
When discussing this topic with a house manager that I placed with a family in Colorado, I was intrigued as he spoke about his time working in very high-end hospitality and how he took note of what luggage the high net worth guests would arrive with. More often than not, he noted on their choice of function and quality over name brands and flash. The two he saw the most included Tumi and Rimowa. If you research these brands, they offer extremely high-quality luggage, with both a reputation of functionality and also a dash of flare and fashion. The nice part of brands like Tumi and Rimowa is they offer high quality pieces at a price that can be considered an investment but isn’t based on a pop-culture fed value. Rimowa is known for their very high end and durable aluminum luggage that is very popular with high net worth households looking to ever so slightly flaunt what they got. Tumi is also known for their ability and desire to personalize their luggage with initials that will save your boss and potentially you time at the luggage carousel after a long international flight.
If you know your boss and understand they want the high-end flare of something like a Louis Vuitton, a well-trained salesperson should be able to guide you, but you should know the length of their trip, how many outfits/shoes/accessories, etc. so you can pick the appropriate size. You should also know if they want the traditional monogram or something more subtle.
As always in our “Learning Luxury” series we like to discuss how you yourself as a house manager, personal assistant, companion, etc. can experience the same impressive levels of luxury and high quality that your bosses experience on a day to day basis. My curiosity on what my successful house managers and estate managers buy for themselves led me to having this exact conversation with them. Many noted have some smaller pieces of very high-end leather goods such as Louis Vuitton, but as they fly commercial in their free time, they often opted for brands such as Tumi, Samsonite, and Away for their checked luggage. A house manager on a Florida estate was very impressed with Away luggage as they offer a lifetime warranty and has a stylish approach to their esthetic. He also noted it has been seen on many reality TV shows. If you have a boss that is perhaps a bit more fiscally conservative when it comes to purchases, this arena of brands may be a great option for them as they were designed to be thrown around when traveling commercially (this is good if the jet doesn’t do long trips internationally).
Caring for your bosses’ luggage should also be covered and taken seriously, especially given the amount of money they do ultimately spend on it and given your job as a house manager or estate manager is to care for their belongings and make them and their estate look good, especially when others are around. If the luggage comes with a dust bag, USE IT! They were designed to prolong the life and ware of the piece. If the luggage comes home from a trip with a scuff or a scratch, research with the company on how to best remedy the situation. If you are fortunate enough, your boss loves a good show and their closet features glass cases or cupboards to showcase their beautiful pieces, but chances are you don’t work for a Kardashian or a Real Housewife so keep that thing out of light and clean. If the piece is leather, you should also be cognizant of the moisture and temperature within your bosses’ closets.
In conclusion, luggage can say a lot about a person, just like any other material item. Get to know your bosses and you can help them in their purchases when asked, suggest gift ideas if needed, and help someone as they navigate sometimes newly chartered waters of wealth and quality products. As a house manager, estate manager, personal assistant, companion, or any other type of domestic professional working with The Robert Hanselman Domestic Agency, we value your expertise and aim to be a resource for you as a domestic staffing candidate. Our nationwide searches for domestic staffing have connected our team with an invaluable reach of advice, ideas, and expertise into the world of high net worth homes and estates.
