LUCINDA CHAMBERS: A LIFE IN DIARIES
The annual ritual of keeping a diary
The act of keeping a diary is more than a practical way of organising your time; it’s a repository for bright ideas, names you don’t want to forget, and plans yet to be realised – each page a record of a life well lived.
For Lucinda Chambers, Smythson diaries have long been part of her routine – a way of giving shape, colour, and meaning to the everyday.
The co-founder of Collagerie and former Fashion Director of British Vogue has spent a lifetime shaping creative ideas, but through it all, one ritual has remained constant: writing things down.
“Smythson for me has always marked the passage of time. Past, present and future,” she says. “Things I’ve forgotten. Things I want to remember. Things I want to keep and to hold and to treasure.”
Every year, Lucinda opens the pages of a new diary, returning to it daily to plan her days, sketch, and jot down notes. Carefully chosen and kept long after its pages are filled, each diary, alongside her extensive collection of Smythson notebooks and personalised stationery, serves as a physical and deeply personal archive of her storied life.
“They’re very representative of my life,” she reflects. “They keep it safe, they keep it purposeful and beautiful. For me, above all, they keep it colourful.”
Colour plays an integral part in the ritual, too. Known for her love of colour, Lucinda selects a different shade every year, giving each its own distinctive identity. This year, she has chosen a Soho Weekly Diary in Cerulean. Together, her diaries are lined up on a shelf, forming a vibrant timeline of memories and a life written in ink.
IN CONVERSATION WITH LUCINDA CHAMBERS
In an increasingly digital world, what draws you back to pen and paper?
I have always enjoyed the physicality of pen and paper. I love to draw, one of my best Christmas presents was a set of over 100 brush felt tip pens. And, I love to write… letters, postcards, to receive something in the post today, with interesting stamps and writing on the envelope is always a delight.
Your career has spanned fashion, media and building your own brand. How have your notebooks and diaries evolved through these different chapters?
When I look back at some of my old diaries, I love to see the way my life has evolved and changed through the years. You don’t think it has in the moments of hectic life, but it has, and it’s really good to be reminded of that sometimes. I don’t travel as much, which I love; I have a routine now which I didn’t have before, and I have time to put in rituals and new habits which certainly weren’t there in my previous life!
Collagerie celebrates discovery and curation – how does your diary reflect that philosophy?
I need a notebook at all times and always have. I jot down ideas, thoughts that randomly come into my head, brands, new companies, and ideas. Once I write them down, I can relax knowing that I can return to them. A notebook is my constant companion, I really am never without them, and I love changing up the colours, so I know roughly when they relate to.
What is it about a diary that makes it a lasting companion, one you return to again and again?
A diary keeps my life on track, and that is essential! When I write something down, I can forget about it; it’s there, and then my mind is free to concentrate on other things. I carry it with me at all times; it’s the first thing I look at in the morning before getting dressed, so I know what the day ahead is like, and I refer to it all through the day. The holidays are in there, my ‘to-do’ list is always on the opposite page, so it really focuses me on pleasures as well as the knarly stuff!
When did you first start using Smythson, and how have our products accompanied you over the course of your personal and professional life?
I remember the first time I ordered Smythson's letter-headed writing paper. It was in the 1980s when my husband and I bought our first house. It was like a rite of passage; it felt very grown-up and was such a new chapter for me. Luckily, we haven’t moved, so my writing paper has remained the same! I always kept a Smythson diary and chose a different colour to mark each year, so they form a very colourful life line on a shelf in my study.
Sometimes I refer to them, looking back at what I was doing this time last year, seeing when I last saw a particular friend, what restaurants I went to and who with. When my sons grew up and became adults, I would give them something very special from Smythson, a leather wash bag or a wallet. Things that I know will last forever and become firm friends. As they have mine.