i purchased a red (pomme) vernis wallet just before the price increase. But i returned it. The smell was little bit strong in the wallet but i don't think that will be the case with every wallet. Maybe just the one piece i ordered might have had it. The fingerprints doesn't show in this color as much as in other vernis but every time i touched, it kind of gave a coating on the wallet to which i am very sensitive (but it goes away if you wipe it). But i would not say it will bother everyone.
So if your dilemma is between zippy pomme and mono, then my suggestion is go with mono as it is classy on people. My colleague carries the mono zippy and it looks so nice and so chic. I don’t think you have to baby it as vernis zippy. Also incase you are open to other zippy’s, then check the zippy in multicolor with rose interior. It looks gorgeous.
But after all these things said, get whichever style makes u happy.