Excess baggage charges? Never heard of her.
With aviation style having been on our minds since Emilia Wickstead was announced as Air New Zealand’s next designer, Yu Mei’s recently launched spring/summer ’24 collection couldn’t have come at a better time.
Offering all the sleek, suiting-inspired touches for seasonal to-ing and fro-ing, the range revolves around new styles that promise to elevate our summer travel with their carry-on-in-disguise functionality.
Case in point: the new Wellington Weekender, a canvas and leather-trimmed tribute to understated luxury, and the Tom Tote, a subtle statement piece with boxy proportions and shiny croc finishings.
Both set to launch in the second drop of the collection, they offer the perfect ratio for a seamless skirting of the carry-on baggage allowance. Roomy interiors in which to stack (and mildly compress) your neatly folded clothes, paired with forms soft and supple enough to tuck into the overhead compartment, effortlessly hang from your elbow nook while browsing duty free—and importantly—give an air of being nowhere near that 8 kilo allowance. Scientists (and check in operators) may argue this fact, but we say it’s pure fashion science.
The same can be said for Yu Mei’s stalwart style, the Teresa Tote. This deep-bucket style, known for its impressive ability to hold anything and everything, gets an earthy spin with the addition of a Brun and Kiwi soft Italian suede colourways (perhaps an understated nod to your heritage while abroad?).
Patriotism aside, additional newness comes in the form of the Antonia Bag: a half circle bag that offers styling possibilities beyond pairing it with an outfit. Sling it neatly across your body, shorten the thick strap for a 2000’s socialite baguette bag moment or layer it up with the Mini Vi Bag—also a new shape.
What truly gets our hearts fluttering (and our travel minds wandering) is the fact that the campaign was crafted by Parisian it-studio, Chaumont-Zaerpour (By Philippine Chaumont & Agathe Zaerpour) in distinctly European streets, and styled by Australian stylist Vanessa Coyle.
“The launch of the Yu Mei Spring Summer ’24 collection signals a creative evolution for us. It presents our wearers with new narratives, shapes and design-thinking that will become staples of the Yu Mei family. We needed the campaign to be equally distinctive,” notes Yu Mei founder and creative director Jessie Wong.