When Louis Vuitton introduced the Speedy in 1930, it was designed to meet the demands of a new era of ever-accelerating travel. This was why it had originally been called the Express – quickly earning the name Speedy once its shape had been further streamlined.

Eighty years on, in a world that’s even speedier, where communication is instant and images can circumnavigate the glove at the stroke of a key, don’t we deserve the right to take a moment – event if its only a fashion moment – to appreciate the luxury of quality and craftsmanship?

Which is why the Speedy has been reinterpreted for Fall/Winter 2010-2011: flattened and stretched from east to west, given a new flap and top handle; reincarnated as a doctor’s bag and clutch. The Speedy’s materials have been reconsidered too. The Monogram has been flocked and sequined; woven in metallic threads; remade in Cloqué, and in guipure lace over duchess satin. The Damier pattern has been recreated in fox, shaved goat and handpainted crocodile. And in its simplest form, the Speedy has been rendered in waxed calf and reconfigured as a doctor’s bag in grainy, supply calfskin.

More photos after the jump… To view the final line-up of the Fall/Winter 2010 collection, check out this post: Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2010 Bag Names and Prices.

Images via Louis Vuitton