AUTHENTIC VINTAGE MARK CROSS LUGGAGE - WEEKENDER - MADE IN ITALY
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:24303775 | Country/Region of Manufacture: Italy |
| Original/Reproduction: True Vintage | Decade: 1960s |
| Casing: Leather | Material: Mark Cross signature fabric |
Before LV, which started up in 1854, there was MARK CROSS. MARK CROSS was established in Boston in 1845 before moving on to New York. MARK CROSS was THE choice of the oldest New England elite families. It was the luggage which traveled on the luxury ocean liners, was carried up to the suites of the grandest hotels, was common on private yachts and boarded airlines like Pan Am Clippers, the greatest of them all in it's day. An example of it's prestige is that onc...e MARK CROSS was part of the same ownership as CARTIER and select CARTIER products were sold in MARK CROSS boutiques. It defined chic.
This piece was owned by my Mom, a stylish woman just like her Mother and her Mother before her. I can see her in Norman Norrell or Pauline Trigere wafting Bergdorf Goodman #9 as she passed by about to leave for the Breakers in Palm Beach back in the days when gentlemen were asked to wear jackets in the lobby after 5pm. She hardly ever carried her own luggage so the piece is in wonderful condition for its age. The interior is good and the fabric unworn. There are slight abrasions on the leather trim.
This weekender is the signature print MARK CROSS fabric trimmed in genuine leather and lined. It is perfect for Newport, the Hamptons, or the Adirondacks. There are 3 exterior pockets and one large main compartment. The piece measures 21 1/2 inches by 13 inches by approximately 6 inches deep. If you fly commercial, it goes nicely on board as a carry on. I imagine people will ask what it is since it typically is known by the cognoscenti and you can have the exquisite joy of relaying the story of Mark Cross after all it was in fashion before the ubiquitous LV.
From the archives:
Some years ago, a prominent Washingtonian ordered a $14, 000 matched set of crocodile luggage from Mark Cross. Before the commission was completed, he asked that plastic covers be made for the cases. His request was unequivocally refused. “I couldn't do it, ” said Edward Wasserberger. the president of Mark Cross. and stanlard‐ bearer of taste and design. The customer settled for fabric covers, although Mr. Wasserberger still doesn't approve of any cover on beautiful luggage.The new Mark cross store, opened this week in the Olympic Tower building (645 Fifth Avenue), reflects both Mr. Wasserberger's taste, and that of his brother, George, who is executive vice president and the man in charge of interior design and decor.“I've felt for a long time that the public was tired of chrome and steel, ” George Wasserberger said. “I wanted to go back to the Mark Cross roots.”For VIP'sThe roots reach back to 1845, but the Wasserberger brothers compromised on the Edwardian period, when the store entered its most famous era. Their architect, Ernest Castro, visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and, as a result of his research, the new emporium is a blend of Carpathian elm, much of it embellished with a lyre design, a continental cage‐type elevator, now mirrored but soon to be seethrough glass, and Art Nouveau stained‐glass skylight effects.
It was always in a smoke free environment and carried with care.
The matching shoulder bag is also listed on eBay.
This piece was owned by my Mom, a stylish woman just like her Mother and her Mother before her. I can see her in Norman Norrell or Pauline Trigere wafting Bergdorf Goodman #9 as she passed by about to leave for the Breakers in Palm Beach back in the days when gentlemen were asked to wear jackets in the lobby after 5pm. She hardly ever carried her own luggage so the piece is in wonderful condition for its age. The interior is good and the fabric unworn. There are slight abrasions on the leather trim.
This weekender is the signature print MARK CROSS fabric trimmed in genuine leather and lined. It is perfect for Newport, the Hamptons, or the Adirondacks. There are 3 exterior pockets and one large main compartment. The piece measures 21 1/2 inches by 13 inches by approximately 6 inches deep. If you fly commercial, it goes nicely on board as a carry on. I imagine people will ask what it is since it typically is known by the cognoscenti and you can have the exquisite joy of relaying the story of Mark Cross after all it was in fashion before the ubiquitous LV.
From the archives:
Some years ago, a prominent Washingtonian ordered a $14, 000 matched set of crocodile luggage from Mark Cross. Before the commission was completed, he asked that plastic covers be made for the cases. His request was unequivocally refused. “I couldn't do it, ” said Edward Wasserberger. the president of Mark Cross. and stanlard‐ bearer of taste and design. The customer settled for fabric covers, although Mr. Wasserberger still doesn't approve of any cover on beautiful luggage.The new Mark cross store, opened this week in the Olympic Tower building (645 Fifth Avenue), reflects both Mr. Wasserberger's taste, and that of his brother, George, who is executive vice president and the man in charge of interior design and decor.“I've felt for a long time that the public was tired of chrome and steel, ” George Wasserberger said. “I wanted to go back to the Mark Cross roots.”For VIP'sThe roots reach back to 1845, but the Wasserberger brothers compromised on the Edwardian period, when the store entered its most famous era. Their architect, Ernest Castro, visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and, as a result of his research, the new emporium is a blend of Carpathian elm, much of it embellished with a lyre design, a continental cage‐type elevator, now mirrored but soon to be seethrough glass, and Art Nouveau stained‐glass skylight effects.
It was always in a smoke free environment and carried with care.
The matching shoulder bag is also listed on eBay.
