Gotham Folio caught my attention

Yesterday I went to Kinokuniya Bookstore at Takashimaya to do a little book shopping. I eventually bought three paperbacks that have been in my reading list for quite a while. Usually I read my books off Kindle, but on rare occasions I do miss the feeling of reading from a physical book, with an actual book in my hands. After so many years of reading from a Kindle, there is no getting around the visceral feeling I get when reading from an actual book. I just miss it from time to time despite the extreme convenience Kindle books have to offer over a physical book.

I digress.

On the way back I passed by a Coach store and happened to be browsing their wares, when one of their newer line up of men’s briefcases were on display. It was the Gotham Folio in black. The Gotham Folio also comes in creamy blue, as well as ‘Macademia’ and dark blue in other countries based on my research online.

I initially thought that the bag was a little too small. But after trying out at the store, I was beginning to like the minimalistic and the minimal carrying capacity it offered. It does come with an all-leather strap that you can attach to one side of the bag for shoulder carrying situations (the all-leather strap is a welcome upgrade over the nylon counterparts) but I do feel that this briefcase is meant to be carried by hand most of the time. It does look sleek without being overly business-like in looks when carried by hand and that is probably the reason why this briefcase is slimmer than most briefcases out there. It simply is meant to be lightweight so as to be able to be carried by hand on long periods of time without tiring the user.

After all, looking at my current Coach briefcase, I don’t carry a lot of stuff in my bag on my daily commute to work. Which means, this bag is a welcome addition to my growing collection of work bags that I use. It has the same pebble leather that I love so much from Coach. It features a really minimalistic and subtle design all around, with a tubular handle that can be dropped to the sides and reduce interference when carrying by the shoulders. That is a huge plus, as I notice my current Coach briefcase does not have that feature and the handles can be in the way when carrying on my shoulders.

I think this is a well designed bag. Simple, no nonsense design, practical with straps and zips and hooks in the correct places.

Will I buy this bag? I am very tempted. I did not pull the trigger on that day while I was out shopping at Orchard. I overcame that temptation and allowed myself to think it through and sit out on this. The only thing that kept me from buying on the spot that day was when I was reminded that my new workplace haven’t paid my salary for the month of May. So they are about a month behind my salary payment. I am not pissed off or anything. I did join them about a month ago and I am sure they are still sorting out some administrative issues. I am confident that they will pay my salaries that I am owed on the 15th of June. In the mean time, 15th of June is just around the corner and I am in no hurry to get it, If I intend to get it at all by them. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to let the purchase decision simmer for a few more days.