Hermès Hac a Dos PM Backpack Handmade In Togo Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 7P Bleu Presse

Bleu Presse is named for printer’s ink, and the reference is exact – that near-black blue of a fresh newspaper folded under the arm on the way to a morning train. It is the most discreet way I know to carry actual colour.

The pack stands 28 centimetres tall on an 18 by 8 base, so it reads as workwear without pretending to be luggage. My load is a folded paper, reading glasses, a wallet, keys and a phone, with the phone going into the top so the commute does not become a dig. A slim notebook fits flush against the back panel, which keeps the outer face smooth. On a packed carriage the slimness pays for itself; nothing swings when I turn.

On Togo’s pebbled hide, the ink blue has real depth in sunlight but almost no sheen, and the silver fittings stay cool and clinical against it. The straps sit flat on the shoulders, and the whole thing weighs nothing when empty – I have checked it against the kitchen scale out of curiosity and then put the scale away. The interior is plain and orderly, with just enough structure that a pen and a card never migrate to the bottom.

What I will admit: dark saturated blues collect fingerprint oils as darker patches on the grain, more visibly than black leather does. A soft buff every few weeks brings the surface back level. Treat that as part of the routine and the colour stays as crisp as the first morning. The notebook earns its keep, too; half a season of use has pressed a gentle ridge into the cover, which feels like a fair trade.