2020-02-10 Bloomberg Businessweek

67

Downsizing doesn’t require

a downgrade, especially

if it’s a supple leather

cardholder from Loewe

Photograph by Victor Prado

Tight Wad

The bulging

Rolodex, once

a talisman of

power, was long

ago pushed into

the tar pit of

history by your

phone’s contact

list. Somehow the

equally bloated

wallet continues to

roam the landscape,

dinosaurlike, stuffed

with receipts and

membership-card

plastic. Leave it to

Loewe, a 174-year-

old Spanish design

house under

the umbrella of

LVMH, to make the

most compelling,

attractive argument

for you to ditch

your pocket full of

paper: the $265

Puzzle Plain

cardholder.

Modeled on

the already

iconic Puzzle

handbag, it has

four slots for credit

cards and IDs and

a central slit for a

few bills.

THE COMPETITION

• Milanese leather
  goods maker
  Valextra SpA has
  always been a
  favorite of those
  who seek quality,
  not flash. Its $310
  card case, which
  can hold six cards,
  comes in lobster red
  or a tobacco brown
  called Havana and
  features a signature
  notched design with
  lacquered ink piping.
  
  
  • The two-slot
    Buckler from
    Guarded Goods
    is handmade to
    order in Minnesota
    from $65, with your
    choice of leather
    and thread color.
    From there, you
    can build your own,
    adding two more
    slots for $15 or
    upgrading to shell
    cordovan leather for
    $95 to $105.
    
    
    • Protect your cards
      from snooping
      RFID scanners with
      the Ridge’s $105
      Titanium metal
      wallet. It’s able
      to hold as many
      as 12 cards, and
      it comes with an
      attached money clip
      or cash strap.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

THE CASE

When Jonathan

Anderson unveiled

his first collection for

Loewe (pronounced

low-EH-vay) in

2014, the star was

his Puzzle Bag,

with its geometric

jigsaw pieces. The

cardholder renders

his angular design

in several different

colorways: greige

(pictured) is offset

with a vibrant

blue and yellow;

the lagoon/black

conjures underwater

depths. Made from

supersoft calfskin,

all are finished with

hand-painted black

edges. The thin

middle compartment

has just enough

room for daily

gratuities—because,

remember, always

tip in cash. $265;

loewe.com

THE ONE Bloomberg Pursuits February 10, 2020