Vienna — leather bait

Vienna is famous the world over not only for its borderline kitsch and delicious sweets, but also for its long traditions in making the best leather goods. Bespoke shoes from makers such as Scheer, Materna or Bàlint are praised among those who know how to dress. But there are also some very good suppliers of small leather goods to be explored. One of them is R. Horn who embraces the city's history of minimal, modernist design and translates it into a very distinctive collection of small leather goods. His several stores throughout Vienna offer everything from credit card cases to wallets to agendae (no, there is no such plural as "agendas") to briefcases which come in an array of colours ranging from understated to dashing. Robert Horn (the owner and designer) uses grained calfskin almost exclusively in order to liven up the streamlined design of his products. All of them are lined with green moire silk or red goat skin.

I bought two pieces: One of them is a classic porte monnaie ("breast wallet" for the iGents) for myself. The other is a case for my girlfriend's vintage Ray Ban sunglasses. The case is made of grained velour leather which means that, despite its nubby surface, it has a velvety surface.