1.5.13

READ WITH ENVY

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GRAY AREAS

I still can't believe that the first Smythson notebook I bought wasn't even for myself.  It's not that I'm a selfish person or anything, but I always thought it was gift-giving rule of thumb to not buy someone else something before you get it for yourself (that is if you like whatever the gift is).  While I'm pretty sure that's entirely false, it's still something I think about each time I go gift shopping.  The one I gave to my friend was pink and only read "make it happen," on the front, but to be completely honest, that didn't keep me from wanting it the slightest bit.  Fortunately for her, my heart was just big enough and I still had the decency to give her intended gift.  Even if that meant taking a cab all the way downtown just to see her for all of five minutes...  

My first real life encounter with Smythson was at no other place than the first floor at Barneys– pre-renovation, I think they're on the 5th floor now.  I thought I'd stumbled upon the coolest little gifts for any occasion (coming from a college student), until I found out that they were $80.  Initially taken aback by the price tag for a notebook, I thought about what the buyer was really paying for: a saffiano leather cover, a catchy gold-embossed saying on the front, and gold trimmed feather weight pages– which is obviously the best paper for writing quick notes on, didn't you know?  Oh, and an FU to everyone with a moleskine when they see you take one of these out (myself included, for the time being).

No more than three days later, the most stylish guy in my French class whips out one of these babies that he "totally just bought from Barneys yesterday."  Seriously? Was Smythson, Barneys, my friend, and some higher being playing a joke on me? He had a navy one– I really wish I could remember what it said on the front, but since I was only about 40% happy for him and 60% envious of the situation.  I wasn't afraid to tell him then, and I'm not afraid to write that today.  No shame. 

Since I'm obviously in the market for a luxe notebook (when am I ever not?), I did a quick little search and came upon this Smythson notebook sold exclusively on Mr Porter.  Even though I'm typically a black or navy type of guy, I have a terrible history with small dark accessories.  With that said, I think bright blue would be a little too much for a first, but red is absolutely perfect.  And I mean, "Nothing's ever black and white,"– I don't think anything can get any closer to my personal mantra.  After all, it's always about the grey areas.  Except with grammar; grammar is always black and white.