The videos typically go like this: A customer, most times a young woman, approaches the door of a small Parisian boutique. The patron is let in and led to a counter, where a sales associate shows off different cuts of leather, along with metallic hardware options and charms shaped like hearts or stars. Selections are made and, by the end of the video, the customer is flaunting a new customized accessory — not a bag, but a notebook.
Made by the brand Louise Carmen, the notebooks have penetrated the orbit of the stars, including Kendall Jenner, who put one in a gift guide that she recently shared on social media, as well as Lana Del Rey and Shay Mitchell, who have appeared in videos that the brand has posted online.
Such posts have generated buzz anew for Louise Carmen, a stationery company founded in Paris a decade ago. (Emails seeking comment from its founders, Nathalie and Fabien Valmary, were not answered by the time of this article’s publication.)
The notebooks start at about 122 euros, or about $142, for a pocket-size version with 64 pages. Costs can rise depending on factors like size, and the materials and adornments customers choose.
Lindsey Nguyen, a marketing professional in Denver, booked a video appointment with the brand to design a notebook last October. Hers — which was embellished with charms and embossed with her favorite Latin phrase (“cor cordium,” which roughly translates to “heart of hearts” in English) — cost more than $300.
Ms. Nguyen, 33, said she was willing to pay a premium in part because of the made-to-order experience. “It went beyond just me as a consumer purchasing a good, this was an entire experience where I felt connected further with the brand,” she said. “A more personalized, like, white-glove-service experience.”
Louise Carmen notebooks, which can be purchased on the brand’s website, have also been sold at places like Goods for the Study in New York, where Louise Carmen had a pop-up shop in 2024. Theodora Helgason, a manager at Goods for the Study’s NoLIta store, said customers often call asking for the brand by name.
While not unlike other notebooks from brands like Traveler’s Company or Paper Republic, Louise Carmen’s versions have become a status symbol for some users because of their price point and their Parisian DNA.
They see the products as a way to convey a cosmopolitan and writerly image, aligning with other bookish trends: the uptick of eyeglasses on runways, say, along with the way fashion has broadly embraced literary culture. In recent years, luxury brands have opened book shops (Alaïa), fashioned their stores like libraries (Bottega Veneta) and hosted literary salons (Miu Miu). Models like Kaia Gerber have also started book clubs, and publications like Vogue have written about books as if they were handbags.
“Smart is in right now,” said Annie Given, a 34-year-old public relations executive in Los Angeles who recently bought herself a Louise Carmen notebook as a holiday treat.
Ms. Given, who said in an interview that she has kept journals for years, bought her notebook on the brand’s website. She paid $450, which included shipping and other fees. It took a month to arrive, she said, and when it did, the box it was sent in was partially open and her notebook had defects, including broken charms.
“The craftsmanship is what I was paying for, and the craftsmanship is what I didn’t get,” said Ms. Given, who posted a video about her notebook on TikTok after receiving it. “I’m just irritated, out of principle, like, if you’re going to charge a premium, then give premium service.” Her feelings echoed the sentiments of comments on Reddit recounting others’ disappointment with Louise Carmen products.
Though some have been left disillusioned, many remain drawn to the brand. Jananie Velu, a 28-year-old content creator and independent publisher in Toronto, is among them.
Ms. Velu sees Louise Carmen as aspirational, she said. But she wasn’t willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for a notebook, so she instead went to a local leather supply store and bought materials that she used to design a Louise Carmen-inspired journal.
The materials for her journal cost about $22, she added, and she has since made nine more.
“It feels like a luxury product,” Ms. Velu said. “I couldn’t care less about brand names.”
Yola Mzizi is a reporter for the Styles section and a member of the 2025-2026 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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