Hold this Mélanie Paris wallet up to the light and the front panel does the talking: rosettes, teardrops, triangles and short bars punched straight through the beige, with a grey-silver backing glinting behind every opening. A smooth border frames the cut-out panel, and the back is left completely plain.
The zip runs along three sides, so the wallet opens flat on a table. Inside, cream panels hold a clear window, a row of slanted card slots and a flap that shuts with two press studs, while a zipped centre pocket keeps coins away from everything else. Measures 19x11x2.5cm.
Most of the front has been punched out: full rosettes, teardrops fanned around them, triangles and short bars, all cut straight through the beige. A grey-silver backing sits behind the openings and picks up the light, which is what makes the pattern read without adding a second colour. A plain border holds the panel together, so from across a room the wallet still reads as plain and only shows its lacework close up. That is what separates it from everything else filed under women's wallets.
Open the zip and the wallet lies flat, cream panels facing up. One side carries a clear window for the card you keep showing, with a line of slanted slots running underneath it for the rest. Two press studs close that flap. The panel opposite stays smooth and takes notes and receipts.
Coins get their own zipped pocket down the middle, and this is where the wallet stops being quiet: the pull is brown and the pocket is lined with a printed fabric. Shut the wallet and none of it shows.
| Measurements | 19x11x2.5cm |
|---|---|
| Colour | Beige, silver backing under the cut-outs |
| Pattern | Rosettes, teardrops, triangles and bars |
| Fastening | Zip along three sides |
| Card storage | Clear window, slanted slots, two-stud flap |
| Coins | Zipped centre pocket, printed lining |
| Back | Plain, no cut-outs |
| Brand | Mélanie Paris |
The lining pattern is a chain of small geometric links in rust and cream, and it turns up twice: around the coin pocket and behind the card window. Nothing on the outside hints at it. Keeping the colour inside and the shell plain is a habit you will spot on other pieces carrying the Mélanie Paris name.
A pale shade goes with everything and shows everything, which is the trade you make. The punched area asks for a little more attention than the rest, since grit from the bottom of a bag settles in the openings. A dry cloth every so often lifts it out, as long as weeks do not go by first. On the smooth border, wipe without soaking and let it dry away from a radiator.