The perfect bag for those trips when you want to pack a little lighter.

Call it the Tom Wolfe impulse: Sometimes, even the most conservative man of means feels the need to upholster his dark-leather suitcase handles-to-hinges in something a bit . . . brighter. Individually crafted by hand and lined inside with Champ des Course prints depicting racetrack scenes (take all those impressionistic images of steeds going hard for the finish as a bit of beat-all-competitors inspiration as you retrieve your socks), the Faubourg Express suitcase lends your luggage repertoire something classic-looking yet as subtly rakish as a white two-piece suit and homburg hat.

The name of the case combines Faubourg Saint-Honoré — the address of Paris fashion house Hermès, its creator — with the Orient Express and its connotations of traveling adventure and refinement. But don’t confuse any allusions to old-school elegance with a lack of durability. When British company Globe-Trotter constructed the Faubourg’s lightweight Vulcan fiber for Hermès (created via a patented method of compressing layers of paper into an ultra-resilient surface), it resulted in a lockable case more than capable of withstanding the slings and arrows of multi-country travel, especially with those snap-on straps helping to keep things ultra-snug.

Additional accessories include two keys, a clochette hanging key cover and smart Vulcan-fiber luggage tag. Of course, should you wish to blend in more with the madding crowd, a black version of the suitcase is also available — but some days, who wants merely to blend in?

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