Thursday 02 April 2015 1:04 am  |  Updated:  Tuesday 26 October 2021 4:55 pm

Beautiful things: Luxury laptop bags, vibrant pocket handkerchiefs and outlandish sunglasses

By: Express KCS

Time was, the laptop bag was an uglier, floppier version of the briefcase. Not any more. Italian luxury bag maker Piquadro tasked its master-craftsmen with coming up with a rucksack befitting of the machine you rely upon for work, play and every other aspect of modern life. The company’s Sartoria made-to-order service makes it possible to alter and modify a number of models, and every piece in the collection is made from the finest Tuscan leather. Customers can personalize everything, from the finish and colour of the flap to the number of pockets and the style of handle – a perfect blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern living.

Clockwise from top left: Turnball & Asser, £65; Etro, £65; Richard James, £50; Drakes, £55, all from mrporter.com

 

The days of the Mad Men-esque white sliver of a pocket square peeking out of your blazer pocket are behind us. Today the humble handkerchief is a way to inject some colour into your outfit. Bright geometric and paisley designs are in – and they’re as welcome in the boardroom as they are at a Sunday barbecue.

 

Turnbull & Asser have an excellent selection of patterned styles, while Richard James and Drakes offer some beautiful squares with prints of bicycles and butterflies. And you can rest assured you’re part of a distinguished lineage: the pocket square can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt.

 

Taylor Morris Vredefort, £150, taylormorriseyewear.com; Miu Miu painted cat eye, £225, net-a-porter.com; Illesteva Leonard II, £215, net-a-porter.com

 

There is something about getting a new pair of sunglasses that somehow surpasses the item itself. Perhaps it’s because they tend to coincide with summer, or a holiday, or simply because you happen to wear them on your face. They don’t only change the way you look; they change the way you see, bathing your world in golden browns, zingy yellows or, in the case of the Taylor Morris ones above, unearthly greens. Only a new pair of shoes can compete with the way a good pair of sunnies make you feel.

 

So we say it’s time to get yourself in the mood for the sunnier months ahead by splashing out on one of these incredible pairs. Or, better still, get them all. Go forth and multi-buy.