Pieces like this Louis Vuitton Vanity are why the line is considered a baseline: the boxy, lipped-top silhouette descended from Vuitton's nineteenth-century travel vanity cases. Built from Monogram canvas - the printed cotton-coated canvas Vuitton has produced since 1896, the material does the quiet work the silhouette finishes off. Its 5 by 8 by 5 inch footprint gives it a contained presence without forcing the issue. Many enthusiasts point to it as the line that taught the rest of the category what restraint really looks like. Vuitton's vanity cases descend directly from its nineteenth-century travel canisters, where the house built compartments for cosmetics that doubled as containers for jewelry. From the Maison de Beaubigonne specialist team, where every lot is read closely before it is presented.

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