
Flights of Fancy: Ettinger’s Luxury Leather Goods
Ettinger unveils its all-new Capra Bordeaux Collection
Words by Will Halbert
Google tells me that the definition of ‘reminiscing’ is ‘to indulge in the enjoyable recollection of past events.’ I like that. It takes what is essentially a subconscious act and gives it a kick of agency. As if the simple act of remembering something were a pastime you set aside time for – like reading a book or pouring yourself a glass of wine.

This might well explain my affinity for Ettinger’s Capra Bordeaux collection. Crafted from the fine goat leathers of France’s southwestern tanneries, the Capra Bordeaux collection is more than a carefully curated capsule of luxury accessories, it’s a beautifully crimson, claret-smooth invitation to get downright nostalgic. At least for me, it is.

Bordeaux, for me, will always be a tale of sunny excess and incomprehensibly beautiful people; of the smell of oak barrels and limestone walls; of the bone-white sails of the Bordelais docks and the bittersweet (and admittedly oh-so-British) sting of sunburned knees.
I see each of those memories reflected in the wine-red hues of the new Capra Bordeaux collection. I see the miroir d’eau in the minimal charm of the Three-fold Mini wallet; the Grand Théâtre in the simple elegance of the Visiting Card Case; the Place de la Bourse in the silver-gilded sophistication of the Capra Journal.

Now, there are those that might accuse me of placing entirely too much personal stock in Ettinger’s new collection. But has the Capra Collection not always embodied the spirit of nostalgia and adventure in its expertly crafted accessories? That the new collection should even serve as a gateway into my tall tales of adventures past is a testament to Ettinger’s stock and trade.
Am I getting too sentimental? Apologies. Much like a glass of Bordeaux wine, a hefty slug of nostalgia is all the sweeter when shared; when fading memories are given legroom enough to meander into the tall grass of fantasy. There is, after all, a fine line between a fond memory and wild reverie. If you ask me, the Capra Bordeaux collection captures both with an enviable style and grace.
Check out the entire Capra Collection here.