Marc Jacobs showcases Louis Vuitton's savoir faire

On the catwalk Jacobs presented a supple Lockit bag, folded over and clutched in the hand, made from soft crocodile and fine napa leather. In the special order collection the Lockit, the Triangle and the Noe can be crafted in the client's chosen colour (there are 26 on their colour palette) and in a range of leathers, depending on what is suitable for the style of the bag. Each of the materials is meticulously stored in a large stockroom at Asnieres and overseen by specialists who grade the leather, whether it be cow, lamb, goat or calf, for thickness, elasticity and faults. Some leathers are so fragile before they are worked that they are handled with white gloves. The Lockit was created in 1958 and derived from the early steamer bag, which had the far from glamorous purpose of being a laundry bag that you rolled up in your trunk. The modern-day version is infinitely more sophisticated and is constructed from three pieces of leather (back, front and bottom). Its unmistakable curved lines and restrained detail are designed to highlight the beauty of the leather, and it features the full Louis Vuitton signature on the padlock rather than simply the initials. At the Maison in Sydney - one of only a handful of Maisons around the world to offer the haute maroquinerie service - iPads illustrate the leather, colour and size options and hardware available to order. Prices start at $5000. It can take six months for non-exotic skin bags to be made and a year for a crocodile one because it is so difficult to source skins of such high quality. Only the centre of the belly, the best part of the crocodile, is used for the front and back of a bag and there is a size limit to the bag, especially if you are looking for the Noe or Lockit styles. The Noe is a drawstring style derived from a bag designed rather decadently in 1932 to transport five bottles of champagne. In its present version it is an easy, elegant style to sling over your shoulder. Just a few other designs have been added to the special-order collection, such as the Milaris, which can be made in classic box leather, or a sumptuous matt crocodile, which is restricted to a palette of 16 colours.

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