Question: The last time I asked you a question it was about luggage and you gave some great advice on Tumi, so I come to you again. What are your thoughts on card holders versus wallets? I currently have a three-fold wallet that fits all my cards nicely, but find that during the week at work it is too big for my suit trousers. What would you recommend? And would you suggest a card holder with a money clip built in, like the Tumi Delta Clip card case? (Matt)
Answer: Flattery gets you everywhere so here's what I think. There is nothing worse than a bulky wallet so I now separate out my most important cards (work pass, debit card, Oyster card etc) to put into a card holder so that I can leave my wallet with other credit and store cards in my bag. This also has the benefit that if I lose one of them I won't actually be completely stuffed and will still have access to cash. There are hundreds - if not thousands - of card holders out there from the reasonable to the eye-wateringly expensive. I would go for something in-between, such as by Smythson. And as it happens I am not a big fan of the money clip - though I do have a very beautiful deep green clip wallet by Valextra that I use if I am wearing black tie (so to be honest increasingly rarely these days alas). I just feel the clip is simply something else to break and I am unconvinced that they actually work that well - though if you are looking for a slim bi-fold wallet do check out Valextra's amazing colours. The Tumi wallet you mention is great but I feel size-wise it may be better suited for travel than for slipping into your suit trousers on a daily basis.