Samples for my custom Van der Spek order - by Anita

Whilst I may admire other people's Gillios and Van der Speks, I have never purchased one as I feel that I can't really justify spending that much. Back in 2016, I did order some leather samples from Van der Spek, but never went ahead with an order. I am absolutely not judging anyone else or saying that I don't think that they're worth the money, but in the past I know that I wouldn't have been comfortable with spending that much when a Filofax will do the same job. However, after deciding that I would never buy one, a very kind and generous friend got involved and I then had the funds to buy a custom Van der Spek! I am so grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

Once I had a proper look at the Van der Spek website, I realised that I would need to narrow down my favourites and order some more leather samples. The ones that I ordered back in 2016 were: turchese (6219), turchese (19), black ostrich (235) and Janet Leather burgundy (109). Whilst I still quite like the idea of black ostrich on the outside and a turchese interior, I know that I always come back to a red binder in the end.

Here are the samples I ordered:

Top left: Janet Leather burgundy (109)
Top right: Janet Leather red (108)
Bottom left: Janet Leather mustard yellow (106)
Bottom right: Papavero croco  

However, I then realised that I had a problem as I liked them all! How to make a decision?
I carried the samples around with me in my bag, scratched them on purpose and started pairing them up with each other to help give me some ideas. For example, I've always loved the Ascots, so one choice would've been Papavero croco on the outside with Janet Leather red on the inside. Whilst the Papvero croc is lovely, I realised over time that Janet Leather is definitely my favourite, so it was then time to make a decision about what colour to go with.

We have a winner!

Here is my order:
Standard 25mm Ø
Outside-colour: 108 - Janet Leather Red

Inside-colour: 109 - Janet Leather Burgundy
Inside-stitching: 238 - light grey ostrich
Outside-stitching: 238 - light grey ostrich
Mechanism: 25 mm silver
Stiffener: No

Standard big back pocket

Extra pen loop

I was going to get matching stitching, but was then inspired to go with contrast as I remembered how much I like it on the crimson Malden and wine Holborn. I also did consider trading up to 30mm rings, but decided against it as I'm pretty good at clearing out old notes, and I don't want it to be too heavy or take up too much space in my bag.

So, there we have it and I'm quite excited, but still have some time to wait until my order gets here. Once it comes, I will be rehoming my Ascot as I know that owning just the one binder is best for me. 

Further Information.

Web Site: http://www.vdsshop.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VDSleathergoods
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vanderspekorganiserfans/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vdsshop/