Black faux leather with a fine grain, a camel strap down the middle and a small silver buckle holding it: the Mélanie Paris compact wallet keeps its outside very plain. Only the top of the flap breaks the rule, shifting towards a shimmering charcoal.
It measures 14 x 9 x 2.5 cm, closes with a magnet under the flap and with a zip that runs round the edge. Inside, a print of small burgundy, red and ochre fans takes over completely.
Some days you take nothing out with you, and that is where this shape earns its place. It slips into a coat pocket, sits flat against a jacket lining and stays closed thanks to the magnet under the flap. Carried in the hand it still reads as an accessory rather than a bulge, because the camel strap gives the eye something to settle on.
To see how this size compares with the rest, browse the shapes listed side by side.
If your papers already live in a larger wallet and only the change needs its own home, something made just for loose coins will suit you better.
Turn it towards the light and the upper panel of the flap shifts: charcoal one moment, brownish or faintly pink the next. Below it the body stays matt and finely grained. The camel strap runs down the centre, ends in a point and passes through a small silver buckle, the single warm note on an otherwise dark piece.
There is no pocket on the back, so the depth stays where it is actually useful. At 14 x 9 x 2.5 cm the wallet is wider than it is tall, which is why it slides in edge first rather than lying across a small bag.
| Dimensions | 14 x 9 x 2.5 cm |
|---|---|
| Material | Faux leather |
| Colours | Black and camel |
| Fastening | Magnetic flap and zip round the edge |
| Inside | Printed lining, accordion gussets, zipped coin pocket |
A cut-out window on the inner wall lets the print show before the gussets are even opened. The printed lining covers both of them with small fans in burgundy, red and ochre on a pale ground, packed in close rows. The card slots stay matt black beside it, stacked one below the other, with a flat pocket alongside.
A zipped pocket for coins divides the two gussets. Its burgundy tape stands out against all that black, so your fingers find it without looking. Open either side and the accordion folds spread the walls apart, bringing notes and receipts straight into view.