Style classics:

Smythson diary

MIGHT have celebrated its 125th anniversary last year, but Smythson is still an exceedingly sprightly brand.

Its brightly-coloured, hand-embossed diaries, notecards and travel wallets are beloved of everyone from the Royal Family (the company holds three Royal Warrants) to Madonna, Dame Helen Mirren and, of course, Samantha Cameron (right) — who is an adviser to the company. Last month, it was announced that turn-over had risen by 21 per cent in 2012.

The company’s first shop was opened in 1887 by Frank Smythson, a silversmith by training, on New Bond Street. It supplied London society with high-class stationery, but it was the featherweight diaries that really made Smythson’s name.

They were printed on specially-trademarked, super-thin paper, which meant that a gentleman could carry around his appointments book in his pocket for the first time. The calf leather Panama Diary was created in 1906, and has been a best-seller ever since. Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly had Smythson diaries — Hepburn’s was stamped ‘ London, New York, California’ in gold.

With the advent of world travel, the company branched out into bags and trunks. Perhaps unsurprisingly given that Smythson is owned by Italian leather goods business the Tivoli Group, bags are again one of the big success stories. SamCam, then the firm’s creative director, launched the ‘Nancy’ and ‘Daphne’ models in 2007 — and this season’s ‘Grosvenor’ has been flying off the shelves. Bag one for £750 ( smythson.com).