My brother owns a wonderfully tanned and classic leather bag he bought during a trip to Italy in college.  I always envied its elegance and beauty and I wanted one just like it.  During a trip to New York many years later, my wife surprised me with a Cavalier II duffel in chestnut leather.  It was stunning!  Even my brother, whom I have always looked up to and admired, had to concede that my bag was much finer and better crafted than his own.  In the years since, I have collected many more pieces from the same set.  It seems that the longer I own it and the more wear it collects, the more distinguished it looks.  It is one of my favorite possessions and I feel as though it is becoming less a bag and more a loyal companion traveling with me though the years.