Another Mulberry...

He's actually more chestnut-coloured than this...

Some of you may have noticed a reference to a ‘new’ Mulberry heading my way in my last post. Well, he’s arrived! And he is... Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.

I may of course be biased.

He may possibly not be a Mulberry. I bought him as one and I think he is one, but the zipper doesn’t have a Mulberry logo – it’s a normal zip (by Eclair) and the binder is ‘fabrique en Angleterre’ as well as ‘Made in England’ (French on a very cheap label sticking out of the rear pocket; Made in England stamped in gold on the inside left). It was from eBay so provenance is always tricky. The zipper and the cheap label are the only things making me wonder... there is the Mulberry logo on the front and on the inside and the quality feels divine.

Zipper and cheap looking label

Do I care if it isn’t actually a Mulberry?

No.

Because he is drop dead gorgeous!
And he cost me less than £30, delivered.

He’s been used (though not as abused as Mr Crocodile Tummy had been before he came to me) and has a patina of age and use, which to my mind just adds not detracts from him. There are some scuffs and a couple of pen marks and the leather near the rings, top and bottom, is a bit battered, but he feels superb quality. The leather is a smoother grain than Big Indie and more chestnut brown than the colour that both Indies are.

front

Back - looking more grubby than he is now I've cleaned him!

The layout is identical to the other two A5 Mulberry binders I have. The left-hand inside has three card slots and an ID window with a slip-pocket behind, then there is a ¾ slip-pocket behind that and a full-height pocket behind that. The reverse of the leather is suede, rather than lined, though there is a fabric lining in the full-height slip-pocket on the side that is the reverse of the cover. On the right-hand inside there is a zipped pocket (with gusset) and a full-height slip-pocket behind that. There is one pen-loop and it is on the right-hand edge. There is the double popper (for skinny days and not so skinny days!).

Interior (flat-as-a-bat)

Left-hand side (the colour isn't right in this picture)

Right hand side - the colour isn't right here either!

Okay, the question possibly needs to be asked (though possibly ONLY by DH!) – “Why did you buy this one?”

Um. Well. Because it was there and it looked lovely and Mulberry no longer make this size.

“But don’t Mulberry binders have weird ring spacing that nothing else fits?”

Er. Yes and no... The A6 Mulberry has a ring spacing that is 19-19-38-19-19 (which almost no-one does) whereas Filofax ring spacing is 19-19-50-19-19.
In A5, Filofax ring spacing is 19-19-70-19-19 and the Mulberry is 19-19-50-19-19.

Yes, you read that right – the A5 Mulberry has exactly the same ring spacing as a standard Filofax. Which means that you can print things 2xA4 to a page, guillotine, and use the same hole-punch that you use for Filofax stuff. And which for me, means I don’t have to use the awful A5 Filofax hole-punch.

So what will I use this one for? I’m torn between him coming into work and Mr Crocodile Tummy coming home (though I have no use for him at home and I can’t quite bear to be rid of him), or Big Indie going into work (and Mr Crocodile Tummy coming home). Or him staying at home (and Mr Crocodile Tummy staying at work) and being a life-planner (instead of navy Portland).

Yes. It’s okay. I see the “problem” too... there is a tiny, tiny chance that I may have more planners than I need.

But he is gorgeous.