DentaltownUK May 2017 - 94

lifestyle

Luggage
I've always been fascinated by history.
How did people do things before we did?
What tools did they use? This fascination
gets deeper into the high-class people
of yesteryear; I love thinking about the
aristocrats, tastemakers and globetrotters
of the early 1900s. One thing that has
always interested me is how they travelled.
When you look at these old photos or
videos you notice two things: Everyone
was dressed in semiformal wear, and they
had really great, well-built luggage.
The first one surprises many people
because if you were to step into an airport
today, you'll usually see men in trainers
and T-shirts, and women in yoga pants
and tank tops. The uniform for most when
traveling today is based around comfort:
"I'll be sitting on a plane for X amount
of hours and I want to make sure I am
comfortable the whole time."
I think our ancestors dressing up for
travel was based around the fact that
traveling back then was more of an
exploration of the unknown-they were
headed to places they'd never seen before,
or maybe only heard of through family or
friends. There was no television or internet
to get a pre-experience completed.
The other aspect of people dressing well
during travel was based around the fact
that it was a privilege to be able to afford
to travel. Poor people didn't travel much;
it was the rich who flew in planes or took
trains or limos to their destinations.

94

MAY 2017 // dentaltownuk.com

by Kyle Stanley
The first thing I needed was a carry-on
bag with rollers. I loved the look of that
leather suitcase but it made no sense to
have one without wheels for plane travel.
Alstermo Bruk and Globetrotter have
been making luggage the old-fashioned
way, with wooden frames, for more than
150 years and have perfected it through
hand-crafted precision. The greatest thing
was that they had added discreet wheels to
make their luggage more practical while
keeping the vintage look.
I've been using my rolling luggage for a
decade and they just keep getting better.
I even gave my wife a custom AlstermoBruk luggage piece for our wedding with
our wedding date engraved on it!

Besides my private practice, I also speak
to other dentists about 40 times per year,
so I'm on a plane almost every week. I've
tried to keep this idea of vintage travel in
my heart when I get on a plane. I always
dress up-I usually wear a suit, nice shoes
and even a tie to show my appreciation to
be able to travel. When someone is dressed
well, they will inevitably get respected
more. It's just the way of the world.
Now let's talk luggage: When you see
vintage photos, you'll notice the amazing trunks and suitcases that everyone
travelled with. Usually these were woodframed, leather-bound pieces hand-crafted
by a local artisan. They didn't have wheels,
and often the people traveling weren't the
ones handling the bags; in photos, you'll
see them being hauled by a bellboy or
assistant. I love this type of luggage.
I must confess, I'm a little obsessed with
things that look old but function with new
technology. This means everything from
cars to bags and gadgets. When I started
traveling a lot in my early 20s, I wanted
luggage that had an old-time look and was
built to last for a lifetime, but was practical.
I found it in a few different companies. 

Once I had my custom luggage, I
needed everyday bags for going to the
office, a Dopp kit, etc. I then came across
saddleback leather. I had found the holy
grail of bags: full-grain leather, a 100-year
warranty-yes, you read that correctly-
and beautiful designs.
I've ordered many bags which I still have
today. I can beat these bags up day-in and
day-out whether I'm traveling in Brazil or
just on my way to work in Beverly Hills,
and their patina only increases with age.
The best part about these bags is their
slogan; "They'll fight over it when you're
dead." My 3-month-old son will have
some nice heirloom bags to travel with
someday. ■
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK May 2017
