Habermas 1051: The Pockets I Argued Against

I have mixed feelings about small pockets inside a briefcase, and I said so on camera while stitching pockets into a green suede lined bridle bag. The Habermas 1051 is that kind of bag: chestnut English bridle outside, forest green suede inside, and a shoulder strap in the same green.

Green on the inside

The 1051 pairs a chestnut English bridle exterior with a forest green suede lining. The green is a private color: from the outside the bag looks like a classic chestnut briefcase, and you see the green when you open the flap. The listing calls it the Chestnut and Forest Green Suede Briefcase, and the interior photo shows how far the suede runs, including onto the flap.

I line with real Italian calf suede, and the page on suede lining explains why I use it instead of microsuede.

The pocket argument

In the video I ask whether a high-end briefcase really needs individual pockets. The older bridle briefcases did not come with those small pockets, and I think they take a little away from the classic form. I am in the minority, since most of my customers request them. So I build them, and I stitch them by hand.

The glossary of briefcase parts names the inside parts if you want to follow the photos.

Strap and latches

The shoulder strap is covered in the same green suede, with chestnut leather keepers that hold the loose end. The latches are nickel Marcellino latches, which open with one hand and tighten as the bag fills. The side photo shows the ring where the strap clips on.

Real suede on a strap takes more care than bridle does. The leather care page says to keep oil and water off suede, and to use a soft toothbrush or plain air on it.

Chestnut bridle

The outside is English bridle leather in chestnut, waxy and smooth. The journal article on English bridle leather explains the wax and how the surface changes over time, and the page on leather choice covers how I choose the leather. Every seam, including the stitching in the close-up photos, is saddle stitched by hand, as described on the page on hand stitching.