When a newly revitalized Céline debuted the Luggage Tote in 2010 under the direction of industry heavyweight Phoebe Philo, it wasn’t immediately clear that the design would turn into the industry-altering heavyweight that it has. At first, the bag was relatively easily available on the stores of shelves that had carried the brand before its relaunch, and you could even buy it online. Then, everything changed.
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly where the tipping point occurred, but the first time I rememberreally taking notice of the Luggage Tote, it was on the arm of an Olsen twin. The right moment of exposure from the right celebrity at the exact right time can change everything for a bag’s popularity, and soon after, the bags disappeared from online retailers and long waitlists replaced in-store stock.
In the intervening seasons, certain sizes have been discontinued and others introduced, prices have nearly doubled and new materials and colors abound. Because Céline is very cloak-and-dagger about all its products, we’ve assembled all the information on current sizes, prices, colors and leathers that we could for Spring 2015. We’ve surely missed some things, so if you have additional intel, leave it in the comments and we’ll investigate and update as needed. In particular, we need all the intel you have on the large Phantom–information on its pricing and availability is extremely scarce.