17 May 2007

Guest Blog: Filofax Adultery

Today's guest blog comes to us from world traveler and Filofaxer extraordinaire, Laurie Huff.

I have a smooth black leather Personal size Filofax that I picked up at a discount store for $25 in 2001. Since then it has traveled the world with me, gotten me through graduate school and multiple moves, one of which was to a foreign country. In it I recorded the births of my daughter and of my son, all their milestones and cute antics. It has held my hopes and dreams along with my travel plans and financial planning. Everyone I know is written into my Filofax. It has been with me through thick and thin. Whenever I am without it, I crave it. When it is with me, I feel secure.

And yet, my wandering eye has settled upon the beautiful violet-hued Piazza, which I recently discovered on the Filofax UK website. (Here is the link for your admiration). There is no Filofax even available in that color in the U.S. I love all things purple, and have frequently wished I had a lovely purple Filofax to better represent my personality than the slick black. It seems my wish has come true. But I can't help feeling more than a twinge of guilt at the thought of leaving behind my trusty black one. Despite having been shoved into countless bags, being banged-around constantly, and being handled by my often dirty, sweaty, or sunscreen-covered hands, the smooth black leather looks good as new and handsome as ever. Would the lovely violet leather look dirty after a couple of years of abuse? What about that suede strip? Would it turn scrubby-looking and gray over time? Would it be as tough and unflinching as my black one?

In my mind the dilemma has turned into the Team Aniston vs. Team Jolie debate of the Filofax world. Do I leave behind my faithful, lovely but rather vanilla-looking Filo and go for the sexy, beautiful, exciting Piazza? Will it be all I hope it will be, or will things turn sour later when it loses its luster? Am I better off just staying with what has worked for me so well for so many years? Or, if I let the Piazza pass me by, will I always wonder what could have been?

Not the least of my concerns is the price of the Piazza. It clocks in at a spendy $126, which is beyond even splurge range for me. I'd have to save up for it, and consider it an investment that should last me for many years.

I want to know if anyone else has switched Filos not for a different size but just a different model. Especially, does anyone have a Piazza? How does it look after some abuse? Any wise words for me?

Meanwhile, my internal debate continues.

13 comments:

  1. $126 seems a lot though what price “sexy, beautiful, exciting”?

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  2. I have a binder for every "season" I reuse them every year so I am attached to all of them. I have a bright yellow Piccadilly, a black Brompton, a fuschia Portobello and a turquoise Portobello. I love them all and they are like my "purse" which is why I think I change them out. If you love the purple one you could trade off seasonally. Just a thought.

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  3. Oooo, I never thought of changing them seasonally. Hmmmm...

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  4. Check out the link below. They sell it only for $75.50.

    http://www.made2shop.com/filofax-piazza-leather-personal-organizer-violet-msrp-p-1435.html

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  5. What a fantastic blog! Having just joined the Philofax ranks, this is great. I happen to have gone for the most impractical one possible (pictures on my blog), but it is a fabric one and I Figure if I am still using it in a year, I can look at one of the sexy leather jobbies.
    :-)

    Anyway, back to the point. In my meanderings, I looked at the Piazza, as like you, I love its lilacy hues. You might be happy to know that the only ones with the strip in suede is the pale blue and pink ones - the lilac ones I looked at had a smooth leather strip and no suede in sight. No need to worry about grubbiness there!

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  6. Hi Misty and welcome! Thanks for the info on the Piazza. There have been a lot of questions about it lately. I'll have to go check out your blog!

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  7. Although I've just started using Filofax, I have always been a "seasonal" binder user. My first one is the personal Denim, perfect for the summer. Last week I wanted the Topaz, but after receiving the FF catalog, I think my next quest will be the Eton. Anyone have this one?

    Treet

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  8. Now that I have one Filofax to call my own, I noticed that my eyes are wandering...and poof! I just got me an old, well-worn Windsor. I like the idea of seasonal Filofax changes. But seeing that the Windsor and the current Classis/Cross are in black leather, I can see that I will need to try again and get a few more in colours. Just how many Filofaxes can one boy use? It is starting to look like the start of a bad habit. Good thing Filofaxes are socially acceptable.

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  9. I totally agree with buying a Filofax to reflect your personality. I am currently looking into buying a new brightly colored Filofax to replace my beautiful black Portland. Topaz, in blue, I think. You can get some great deals by shopping the web.

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  10. Been reading this blog for some days being a filofax addict - after trying to quit a few times,I am always back!
    I ordered a red Finsbury as the shade looked lovely online, then panicked as I had always used black and a tan before that. RED? emailed filofax in a hurry if I could change to acceptable brown, a much better colour for leather, will wear more naturally etc., but they said too late, they had despatched it. Now I am staring at a red organiser and trying to get used to it and not agonise about how it will age.. so I know about how filofax adultery feels!
    Shubha

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  11. Hi Shuba -- Glad you're enjoying the blog. Thanks for your comments!

    I have a red Finsbury, Personal size, that I've been using daily for about a year. I've found it's wearing fine. It shows a little dirt on the snap closure, which I touch frequently. Someday I'll use some leather cleaner on it, but I'm worried. It still looks great!

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  12. Recently I saw the violet Piazza at a shop in Heathrow airport. Am I glad I didn't spend the money to buy it back when I was lusting after it so much! The color is not what I would call violet (which I think of as some kind of purple), it is really a periwinkle blue. Definitely more blue than purple. Which puts this off the radar for me. Whew! Ended that lust with one glance!

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