Hermes Picotin Lock 18 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Silver Hardware 90 Framboise

Framboise is raspberry in the specific sense – not bubblegum, not blush, but the deep pink-red of fruit pressed between fingers. It is a grown-up pink, and on Clemence’s soft grain it looks rich rather than sweet. It is also, unexpectedly, the colour I get the most compliments on.

Eighteen centimetres squared, thirteen deep: the familiar small Picotin, with silver hardware that cools the warm fruit tone into something more urban. The leather slouches from the first week, so the bag carries like a favourite sweater rather than a structured piece.

Inside: phone, cardholder, keys and a compact, with the open top making everything a one-hand reach. I wear mine against navy, grey and white most often – raspberry next to navy is one of the most flattering pairings in my wardrobe, full stop.

One honest word of warning: Framboise is a statement colour, and red-pinks can bleed a trace of colour onto pale clothes in humid heat, so mind cream trousers in August. Stored well and kept dry, though, this leather keeps its depth for years without fading.

One final confession: I bought this colour expecting to use it twice a month, and it now goes out twice a week. Pink, done at this depth, is far more of a workhorse than wardrobe planners admit – it carries neutral outfits the way jewellery carries a plain dress. If your first instinct was that pink is not serious, consider this your second instinct.