Notes on nostalgia

Looking at pictures of Filofaxes in the Kate Spade ‘Contents’ book made me a wee bit misty-eyed for the pre-technology days (excuse me while I adjust my rocking chair). What is it about those luxe leather ring-bound pages that’s so appealing? Filofax has tapped into the nostalgia and is giving its personal organisers a big push for Christmas. They told me this at a special bloggers’ preview. I thought it was ironic that a traditional stationery company was courting bloggers but they explained that their customers like to use paper products alongside technology, not instead of. Good point. Apparently Filofax sells more products to women now than men when the reverse was true in the ’80s. Who knew?

For Christmas it has a natty beauty gift package comprising a choice of three styles of Filofax with hidden mirror, a pen-cum-perfume-atomiser and (here comes the biggie) a voucher for a free beauty treatment or photo shoot – all for £40. Personally, I’d be happy with just the organiser but that’s not a bad little deal. I actually have a huge old silver Mulberry organiser that sits unused on my desk (still with 2007’s diary therein) – it’s such a beautiful object, I’m happy for it to stay there but I think I want to start using it again.
On Friday’s trip to Bicester Village, I couldn’t resist the pull of posh stationers Smythson, despite my attempts to steer myself away and in the direction of Phaidon Books instead. Nothing doing. Before I knew what had happened I was walking out of the shop swinging a blue beribboned carrier bag from my wrist. Inside was a postcard-sized camel zip-around organiser encasing a slimline diary/notebook/address book and a handsome propelling pencil. Once I have had it monogrammed, this will replace my Moleskine diary and travel everywhere with me. No really, it will.