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Anyone who's ever been hypnotized by a circling luggage carousel knows that suitcases tend toward the monotonous. A leftover Christmas ribbon tied to a handle is often the only flourish in a sea of battered roller cases. Enter David Chu, the designer behind Nautica's sportswear success and lord of his own more grown-up eponymous line. Chu was recently charged with giving Tumi bags a brushup. Instead, he set forth on a company-wide overhaul that includes luxury handbags for women and a premium men's luggage collection, for which he drew from his personal collection of vintage valises. "The idea is taking old-world craftsmanship and combining it with modern materials," says Chu. Messenger bags, silhouette bags, and briefcases join smart trunk sets and duffels in that indestructible ballistic nylon, and have haute details like Italian vachetta leather piping and nickel hardware. Wheelie bags feature smooth-rolling hubcapped spinners that use the same ball bearings found on Rollerblades (they seem to pop out when in motion) and chrome-finished handles that stash neatly inside trunks. What more reason do you need to start packing?—TASHA GREEN

Price: $695

tumi.com

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