Filofax Malden Pocket in Grey

This year Filofax have a new range of colors for the Malden line of planners, but right now you can only get the new shades via 3rd party sellers in the US.
I ordered my new grey Pocket organizer via Pens & Leather as soon as they were available and, after about a month of back and forth due to some mix-ups in their warehouse, it arrived this weekend.

My first impression was that the leather has a smoother, finer grain than my previous Maldens. This may also be a function of the dye used, as some of the perceived variation on my crimson Malden almost certainly comes from the color, not the actual texture of the hide.

Still, the exterior is very fine-grained and smooth, while the interior has the more coarse, wrinkly leather I'm used to with the Malden binders.

You can see both leather varieties here, where the outermost leather is coarse and wrinkled, the two credit card pockets are finer, like the exterior, and finally the main backing is the wrinkled leather. Between the wrinkles and the grey color I've come to think of it as elephant hide.

In essence, this Malden is the same as the others I have. It has the same soft construction and thoughtful design as the others. What I really enjoy about it is the lovely grey color, a much more stylish and (dare I say it) chic option than your typical staid blacks and browns that every binder comes in. It is different without being obnoxious, it's elegant and understated.

Now I'm left to wonder if I should pick up the vintage pink while I'm at it!