Travelling in effortless style - what your suitcase says about you

During the most tedious moments of baggage-claim downtime, there is nothing more fascinating than playing "match the passenger to the bag." (If you have an iota of people-watching instinct, then you've played this game too.)

Recently I flew to Vancouver from London and clocked an incredibly chic woman in the departure lounge. She wore a pristine red-and-black Prada coat with matching heels, her hair was blow-dried into a glossy bob, and she carried nothing but a sleek leather handbag on to the flight. She emerged nine hours later with not a bleary eye or crease in sight, just as fabulous as before take-off.

At the luggage carousel, amid the battered old bags covered in stickers, random ribbons or wrapped in cling film (the lowest of luggage lows), a shiny silver case glided into view. It was, of course, she who plucked it up and rolled it on its chic way.