Brand: Louis Vuitton Line/Model: Vernis Houston Material: Vernis Patent Leather Exterior Colour: Yellow Pattern: Monogram Embossed Hardware: Gold-Tone Brass Handle/Strap Material: Vachetta Leather Handle Style: Dual Top Handles Closure: Top Zip Dimensions: 12" W x 10" H x 6" D (approx.) Interior: Beige Fabric Lining, Interior Zip Pocket Serial Number: TH1908 Country of Manufacture: France The Louis Vuitton Houston represents the house's Vernis line, introduced in 1998 and crafted in glossy patent leather deeply embossed with the classic monogram. This structured tote in luminous yellow combines the high-gloss vernis finish with natural vachetta leather handles and trim, secured by gold-tone hardware and a top zip closure. The silhouette offers generous interior capacity lined in fabric, suited to daily use. Vernis derives from the French word for varnish, a nod to the material's signature lacquered sheen and dimensional embossing that reinterprets Louis Vuitton's storied iconography in a modern idiom. Notes from the Curator The Houston tote occupied a pivotal position within the Vernis line when it was launched around 1998–1999, offering a generously proportioned silhouette tailored for structured daily carry. The date code TH1908—indicating production in France in August 1998—places this piece at the very threshold of Marc Jacobs's introduction of Vernis leather, a calfskin treated with a glossy lacquer coating before being embossed with the monogram. The Houston's boxy profile and vachetta handles represent an application of the high-gloss technique to a traditional tote form, a synthesis of the house's luggage heritage with the contemporary and vibrant departure from traditional canvas and leather that the Vernis line represented. Yellow—rendered here in a warm, saturated hue—belongs to the spectrum of seasonal colors that ranged from icy violets to rich burgundies, some produced only for a single season, making this particular colorway a marker of its moment within the Jacobs era.