Louise Carmen notebooks were featured in the New York Times recently. The article is dated Jan. 16, 2026, so I expected to see it in the print edition’s Sunday Styles section, but as of this writing, it seems to have appeared online only:
A New Coveted French Accessory
The article talks about the brand’s social media marketing, which has started to follow a formula where an influencer walks into their store and then goes through the process of selecting and customizing a notebook, which is seen from above, focusing in on hands holding the various notebooks and colored elastics and charms. (I personally don’t find those videos all that compelling, but when I first heard about Louise Carmen on Instagram, I was totally sucked in by their photos of beautifully worn-in leather notebooks.) But with success comes some backlash: the article also discusses the grumbling from many users about the price vs. quality and customer service, or lack thereof.
The Times mentions a couple of comparable brands but also notes that some users are getting creative and making their own similar notebooks. I’ve noticed some Louise Carmen “inspired” lookalikes on Etsy, many of which look quite nice and are significantly cheaper than the original.
But almost all of the alternatives lack the sewn-in pockets that make the Louise Carmen notebook covers especially useful, especially the pocket size model.
I also found it quite interesting to read the comments on the Times article. Lots of folks are just griping about why people pay too much to own status symbols, but others are jumping in to share what brands of notebooks are their own favorites. Many are not really comparable– people kind of miss the point that you are not just buying “a notebook” that’s interchangeable with a Moleskine or Field Notes– you are buying a leather cover that can be used as a wallet and refilled over and over with the appropriately sized paper notebooks of your choice.
I’ve been using my Louise Carmen notebook as a wallet since October 2022 (more here and here) and am still happy with it. It’s darkened nicely with age and is in great shape except that the elastic is starting to fray a bit. I’ve had random people compliment me on it and ask where it’s from– as one of those people said, it’s a nice in-between size if you don’t want to carry a full-size women’s wallet or a folding men’s wallet.
That said, I’m sometimes tempted to carry a more minimal wallet, or just use an insert in my MeePlus notebook to hold a few essentials, but I always end up preferring to having one wallet that will hold everything I might need, which includes a driver’s license, work ID, 3 credit cards, 1 ATM card, a few health insurance cards, some store gift cards, a couple of membership cards, cash, a few coins, a few business cards, and assorted receipts. I can stuff a passport in there too. I wish more of my cards would go all-digital so I could keep them on my phone and have a thinner wallet, but it mostly only bothers me because the pocket in my bag where I keep my wallet and phone has gotten a little tight ever since I upgraded from an iPhone SE to the larger iPhone 15.
In any case, it’s always fun to see notebook trends make it into the major media. I’m glad Louise Carmen has popularized their style of notebooks, as they are a welcome variation on the other styles of travelers notebooks that have long gotten more attention.
I am not affiliated with Louise Carmen and have not been compensated for this post in any way. All products in this post were purchased by me at standard retail prices, except for the MeePlus notebook, which was provided as a sample for review.