I have already got two TNs from Jerome Philippe, who trades on Etsy as Atelier Philippe. He uses the same leather as famous fashion houses such as Hermés – Togo, Epsom, Box Calf, Barenia. Read about these leathers here.
One of mine is a regular size in Togo leather with popper fastening and a plastic sheet inside. Despite it being thinner and floppier than I usually use, and not having pockets, this one has become a firm favourite. It is light, I cannot overstuff it, it has worn really well and, because of the plastic sheet, it does not bend or buckle in my bag, and none of the elastics show on the outside Read more about it here.
The other one is a gorgeous brown Barenia leather in Regular size with wide spine and internal pockets. This leather is glorious – smooth and soft but durable AND (my favourite), it develops a patina. Read about it here.
This year I am operating a one-in-one-out policy, so when I cancelled an order for a cover in leather that was found to be faulty, I ordered these babies from Jerome. One for me and one as a gift (I give the best gifts if you are a stationery lover!). They are personal size in the same style as my regular one, but with the addition of an external pocket. I find external pockets very useful because you can slip things into the cover without having to open it.
Jerome does the most amazing work. The design of my Togo cover (above) is ingenious, and he also does every single stitch by hand. He uses sublime leather and is great to deal with. Jerome also does custom orders (of notebook covers and wallet inserts as well as TN covers) so you can pretty much let your imagination run wild. And his production and shipping is quick, while prices are reasonable. Can definitely recommend!
Here are two examples of his wallet inserts. All to be found on his Etsy site here
