Plucked from its humble origins as the long standing fave of cash-strapped Caribbean travellers and regional market vendors, the 'Guyanese Suitcase' - the woven plastic, capacious and rectangular tote - has been vindicated as THE bag of choice for style-savvy Downtown hipsters in Soho, NYC, and the world over.
Louis Vuitton immortalized the cheapo in 2007 by turning it into a luxe, leather woven tote that now hangs off the elbows of style savants with pockets deep enough to cough up the USD $1,800.00 for the PM Street tote, pictured above.
This find was a pleasant surprise and brought back a wave of Caribbean nostalgia; my great-aunts, grandmother, and grandfather each had a Guyanese Suitcase of their own for toting their weekend market-shopping finds!
Back in the day, a trip to the Port of Spain waterfront could easily yield dozens of humble travelers hoisting their plastic tote on board the now defunct Panorama ferry, on their way from Trinidad to sister isle, Tobago; all their belongings neatly packed into their 'suitcase'.
If you're bold enough to pull it off, test drive the look with a pared down original - you can find the basic plastic shoppers for under $3.00 US at the Manhattan Chinese goods emporium, Pearl River Mart. I just snagged a purse sized Guyanese Suitcase of my own at Pearl, for $1.00. It doesn't have the polished look of the Vuitton, but it does the job, and actually looks damn good doing so!
LMN Harris.
i didn't even realize that said louis vuitton on there....i definitely remember my grandmother having bags like that for years & lugging them all over st. thomas & a cousin from antigua bringing coconut drops & tamarind soup in them. lol
I know!!! This is a Caribbean staple...