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Count on these boxes of delight

It’s always a problem. Snaffling away evening trinkets by the bedside table, writes Robin Dutt.

Why only the other night, this writer thought he lost his 1930s sapphire ring which only on returning to the scene of the ‘crime’ (and resigned to its loss) discovered it between the creased sheets of a worrisome bed. The answer to assuage concern must be Ettinger’s collection of elegant goat leather boxes with a reassuring snap fastening which will store your night time jewels, ensuring you will only have sweet dreams.

Whilst the concept of a bedside leather box or tray is nothing new, the company gently reminds that as a gentleman and perhaps, that (still) gentleman having enjoyed an evening’s revels must take care of his jewels. A signet ring seems wedded to the pinky but what about studs, tie bars, stick pins? There are especially 18th century stories a-plenty concerning those who sought out the cleaning jobs at grand houses and semi palaces, where they could be sure that amidst the detritus left by pleasure and combing through filth and vomit, there just might be lost diamonds and gold accessories which fell from wigs and coats in abundance. Nice work if you can get it, as someone once sang…

Ettinger’s boxes are made from this versatile Capra leather and lined with butter soft suede, the former being available in jet black, forest green and marine blue. And the newest addition to the range is the oblong valet, the ideal place to keep jewellery, watches and pens and even spectacles. How many times have you lost yours temporarily down the back of a sofa? It happens! Robert Ettinger commented: “We are always excited when launching new products, collections and colours but this new Capra Ecru really is a lovely combination of colours and materials. It is also the only collection where we have a contrasting leather and suede combination as usually, we complement the two.”

So, whilst one won’t quite vote for abstinence when it comes to a night’s jolly, if you have an Ettinger at home, you won’t lose your diamonds in the sheets – or anywhere else, for that matter. Rest easy, as you turn out the lights…

Capra Ecru Small Stud and jewellery Box £120
Capra Ecru Large jewellery roll – £160
Valet trays from £105

It's always a problem. Snaffling away evening

Why an elegant bag says so much

THE LAST DETAIL: By Robin Dutt

It is surely a given. Unless your choice is supremely judicious, a bag can simply ruin the silhouette of your suiting. You don’t need a cross-body to trammel your intent – useful as that can be for shall we say, a hands-free experience?  Even an example carried in your hand might ruin, that all important ‘line’.

I have always been a fan of elegant bags – streamlined, linear, reliable, glossy. But I have learnt a most important lesson, which to most will or could seem obvious. The more capacious, the more cram.

I have a small collection of vintage briefcases – and one especially for musical scores, with the tell-tale steel bar.  They are of no particular provenance, but the Dolphin label, handmade example delights and also the Parisian Texier document case with the retractable handles so you can carry and clutch.

And then, my sturdy barrel-chested Italian opera star of a conveyance, my cherry-black Condotti, with the Arctic white overstitch, hinting at a suiting pin or chalk stripe looking at any moment to break into ‘O Sole Mio’!  Another for high days and holidays is a Moroccan saddle bag studded with ancient coinage.

If you are in the market for a good bag for whatever purpose, do have a checklist of how you’d like it to perform for you. For me, the inclusion of an outer pocket for the newspaper and immediately get-attable choses is an instant attraction and of course, it has to be streamlined.

Somehow (beloved of the French and Italians) the ‘clutch’ bag with a wrist strap does a suit no favours and, however masculine might be one’s bent, a simple thing like this spells ‘fey’. And of course, there is nothing wrong with that if, fey’s your way.

So, thank heavens that Sandquist is on hand – literally. A particular favourite with the style brigade who like their generously styled box bags which are thankfully deliberately anonymous, these accessories complement your suits and add an elegant dimension of their own.

They may be roomy but crucially, they are slim too. Could this be really possible? Yes. Sanquist bags make you seem that you are carrying a work of art, in the finest, minimalist taste.

Sandquist is renowned for being ground breakers in the eco-friendly stakes, too and their Soho-based boutique has a more than fine selection of cases and bags for the discerning gent.

All products of the brand are made using organic cotton or vegetable-tanned leather and all synthetic materials contain recycled fibres. These bags are so metropolitan, so simple and classic that, in some cases, playfully oversize, they still look totally correct.

And they won’t ruin the cut of yer jib.

THE LAST DETAIL: By Robin Dutt It is