Time was when we could leave the house with a handbag in neat, easily portable proportions, and have everything we required for a day out, within easy reach. Technology may have streamlined some items today, but load up on the devices used for an average working day along with your make-up bag, purse, diary, umbrella or book and it can sometimes feel as if we are packing an in-flight bag just to get out the door. Add a day’s worth of rummaging for any of the above and it’s little wonder many of us resort to pulling it all out at the front door when we get home, just to find the keys buried at the bottom. Consider for a moment how much extra time there might be in the day, or even across the week, if everything meant to be at hand, actually was.
Co-founders of LONB (Love Or Nothing Baby), Melissa Morris and Reinhard Mieck, spotted this gap in the market, for a line of bags suited to the demands of the workday. Inspired by travel style of the 1960s, their pieces are practical but elegant. One of the best from this new luxury leather-goods designer is the Runaway bag, thanks to its compartment system, with sections for your phone, keys, cards and make-up. There are even neat pockets for your passport and boarding pass, should you need to carry them. The Runaway clips into any LONB bag, blending seamlessly with the rest of its stylish range; look out in particular for the Big Easy for workdays, and Le Voyage when travelling. Once the weekend or evening comes, the Runaway can simply be unclipped from its larger host bag, folded in half and converted into a chic clutch with detachable shoulder strap.
Handmade in Italy from a range of beautiful hides, including calfskin, buffalo and ostrich, the Runaway’s layout is based on the design of a vintage car’s dashboard. And it’s easy to see the influence – the positioning of everything has been carefully considered. There are enough sections and pockets without being bulky, nor does it feel over-designed.
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"We are busier than ever," says Morris. "We multitask and work hard to maintain this renegade sort of life. And let's face it, we just don't have time to unpack or repack. We don't have time to search endlessly in our bag for the keys we know we left on the kitchen table by mistake. Or run home to change between the events of the day." The Runaway bag certainly eliminates that doorstep rummage routine for the keys.
LONB is exclusively sold from its Mayfair flagship at 59 South Audley Street and online at lonb.com
Photographer: Philip Sinden; fashion director: Jo Hambro; Location: Beau House, 102 Jermyn Street by Dukelease Properties
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