The Pick: The only accessory your briefcase needs

Smythson notebooks have been the pen’s pre-eminent companion for over 100 years. ‘The Panama’ was originally a nickname bestowed upon Frank Smythson’s first portable diary, dubbed the ‘panama hat of books’ for its ingenious design. If it seems expensive for a notebook, it’s worth noting what you’re paying for.

A lot of notebooks are bound with stiff cardboard that is then wrapped with a synthetic, leather-look material. Lacking in flexibility, these tend to look rather worse for wear once you’ve sat down with it in your back pocket. The Panama, on the other hand, has a crossgrain lambskin leather binding, which looks and feels as good as a premium wallet.

Not only aesthetically pleasing, Smythson’s ‘floppy leather’ can be bent, rolled and yes, sat on, without losing its shape – making this a true pocketbook. Filled with 128 pages of Smythson’s gilt-edged, pale blue ‘Featherweight’ paper, it’s also surprisingly slim. Regardless of how you choose to use it – whether that be for shopping lists or scribbling verse – you can be sure in the knowledge that it’ll go the distance wherever you take it.

Main image Jenna Fifi