Hermes Kelly Elan Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware P9 Anemone

Epsom is the leather I recommend to friends who worry about their bags. The embossing process gives it a fine, regular grain, a stiff hand and real resistance to scuffing and moisture – and on a colour like Anemone, a deep violet that flirts with purple in daylight, that resilience is what lets you carry it without a second thought.

The rigidity is a feature here. The Elan is 27 cm long, 15 tall, 5 deep, and in Epsom the elongated flap stays crisp and holds its domed top edge; this is not a bag that will soften into a pancake. Gold hardware against deep violet is a deliberately rich pairing, and the surface takes the light like glazed porcelain – minus the fragility.

It carries like a long clutch with a strap: phone, a flat cardholder, keys, a lipstick. A power bank and cable also fit, which is more than I expected given the five-centimetre depth. On the shoulder the strap sits at the hip; in the hand it reads as evening.

Trade-offs, honestly: Epsom’s pressed grain looks slightly more formal and less rustic than Togo or Clemence, so it suits tailoring better than denim. And the stiffness means the bag will not mould to your side the way a soft leather does – it keeps its own shape, which some people love and some do not. Cleaning is the compensation: a damp cloth handles almost anything.

For a violet bag you can use hard, this is the construction I would choose.