Hermes Picotin Lock 18 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Gold Hardware S2 Trench

I own a trench coat in almost exactly this colour, which is either a strong argument for this bag or a strong argument against it. I bought the bag. Trench is a warm, slightly grey-beige — the colour of the coat before it has met a rainy city — and it works with far more than its namesake.

The numbers never change on a Picotin 18: eighteen wide, thirteen deep, eighteen tall, with a rolled handle and the strap ends threading through the small lock at the top. What does change is the leather, and Taurillon Clemence brings its A-game — thick, pebbled and matte, softening at the folds so the beige looks lived-in rather than new. The gold hardware ties the warmth together.

Contents on a typical day: phone, a compact wallet, keys, sunglasses folded on top, and a lipstick in the corner. It is a hand or wrist bag; the handle does not go over an overcoat shoulder, and I stopped wishing it did about a week in.

Styling advice: keep the outfit in coats, denim and white cotton and let the beige do the talking. If you like that sort of game, this shade also hosts a silk scarf at the handle beautifully.

The one blind spot: this shade dislikes large doses of cool silver jewellery next to it, so on those days I switch to the silver-trimmed bag in my closet. Otherwise, Trench is the quiet second coat-colour in a wardrobe — one that never asks to be explained.