Hermes Evelyne 29 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Gold Hardware 71 Blue France

French blue is a specific thing, and Blue France gets it right: a royal blue with a formal streak, the sort of tone that has dressed postmen and officers for a century. On the middle-size Evelyne it reads crisp against grey tailoring and white shirts, and it has become my bag for days that include meetings.

The shape does its part. Twenty-nine centimetres is compact enough to look orderly at a table, and the soft Clemence leather keeps it from turning institutional. The perforated H, the open top and the long woven strap are all as expected, and the grain shows a fine, even texture under the blue. In dim light the colour drops toward navy; in sun, it is unmistakably blue.

Contents for a workday: a planner, a slim pouch of cables, phone, keys, a compact and sunglasses, with the rear pocket holding my phone or a staff pass. The strap sits short enough to tuck under the arm on crowded platforms, and long enough to cross the body when I carry a laptop in my other hand.

Gold-tone hardware nudges the blue toward warmth and works beautifully with camel and brown accessories. A small caution: royal blue on soft leather can show light scuffing as pale lines if knocked, so I keep mine from brushing brick walls on narrow pavements. A year of commuting has left the corners crisp and the strap only mildly softened, which I count as good behaviour.