These are my new ‘Louis Vuitton leather’ VDS binders with 30mm gold rings and full length back wallet pocket. I have kept the successful pocket constellation which I have in my undyed binder and also in my Janet Leather personal binder. Many credit card pockets on the inside front and back covers and secretarial pockets behind them. If you want to know the history behind the leather and see the process of them being made, have a look here and here.
The journey to these has been a long one. When Petra first posted the new leathers in the Facebook group I was not enamored. But then they started to grow on me. And with me, I often grown more attached to something when the love comes gradually than when I fall in love instantly. I went to Rotterdam with the aim of having a binder made from either the red or the green. When I received swatches I took those three swatches with me everywhere the first day because I loved them so much. I couldn’t decide on colours. But then I found Janet Leather and the rest is history.
Still, these kept haunting me. I knew that this leather is limited in quantity so I decided to order a trio. Why is it limited in quantity? Well, according to the supplier (and this may or may not be true), it comes from a Famous French design house – Louis Vuitton. Big fashion houses often sell overruns or offcuts onwards. Dolce & Gabbano often do this with their leather, as do certain tanneries in Sweden. The leather has had a second hatch added to it, creating a crosshatch/saffiano effect and making it impossible to recognize or sell as LV leather. This is the same as labels being cut off or scored on seconds of designer clothing and accessories before selling them further. It is really tough, low maintenance and easy to clean. And I knew that, supposedly being designer leather, it may not be available for all time as it is probably leftovers from one of their big runs. So I bit the bullet. And then they arrived about a week ago and the courier company could not deliver them to me as I was at work. So I had to walk kilometers (literally) to collect them from the depot. The parcel was heavy as Petra had returned most of my Traveler’s notebook covers and refills. Then I was too busy to even open the parcel for a week. But now I have time, so without any further ado…
