Take style on vacation with you
— -- Any frequent-flying fashionista worth her Louis Vuitton luggage knows she has to treat an airport runway just like a fashion runway. Fortunately, the merger between fashion and travel is a seamless one. USA TODAY has your first-class seat to the latest and greatest for trendsetting travelers.
Airport shows you what's chic in Chicago
Through Oct. 10, fashion takes to the terminals at O'Hare International Airport with Chicago Fashion at the Airport, an exhibition showcasing local designers and accessory aficionados. A fashion concierge will be set up to answer fliers' fashion and local shopping questions.
Posh packer
Because a jet-setter can't be stylish with clothes alone, Globe-Trotter has joined fashionable forces in the baggage department. Cool clothier Charlotte Ronson collaborated with the luxe luggage brand to produce a limited-edition suitcase. The bag — orange Vulcan fiber trimmed in brown leather — is lined with stripes and comes with stickers so yours will always stand out on the baggage carousel. Price available on request at charlotteronson.com.
J.Crew is also getting into the bag biz with Globe-Trotter, offering a limited-edition Centenary collection with Vulcan fiber, handmade leather and antiqued brass hardware. Prices range from $1,000 to $2,300; information at jcrew.com.
Gwen Stefani puts the W in swanky
Style is on the menu in select W Hotels lounges this fall. Songstress/seamstress Gwen Stefani and her clothing line, L.A.M.B., partnered with the posh hotel to design uniforms for its servers. A luxe look for a luxe locale, the black matte jersey dresses are a perfect fit for the stream-lined lounges owned by Rande Gerber. Look for decked-out drink dealers at W hotels in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New Orleans and New York.
On the road with von Furstenberg
Want behind-the-scenes access to the glamorous fashion world? Insert the DVF Files. Garment guru Diane von Furstenberg is taking armchair travelers along on her trips with the help of Departures magazine. As she jet sets from fashion week to fashion week (and everywhere in between), von Furstenberg will send monthly missives to the publication beginning with the November/December issue. "It's almost like an e-mail from Diane from any place in the world," says Departures editor in chief Richard David Story. So what's up first? "I don't know," admits Story. "The unexpected has always been part of the DNA of DVF."
