Hermes Kelly 25 Bag Handmade In Porosus Crocodile Leather Gold Hardware 78 Bleu Marine

There is a dress code for crocodile, and it is mostly about the weather. Porosus is the flagship of the crocodile family, with large, even, symmetrical scales, and in Bleu Marine, a navy so deep it is nearly black until light hits the ridges, this Kelly 25 is strictly an evening bag where I live.

Scale quality is what you are paying attention to here: the rows run true across the front panel, the belly tiles are broad, and the polish is deep rather than glassy. Porosus has a crisper, more armoured feel than softer crocodile skins, which suits the Kelly’s architecture. The bag stands up on a table like furniture and does not flex when you open it, so nothing spills.

Capacity is exactly what a navy evening bag should be: phone, card holder, keys, lipstick, nothing else. Gold hardware on navy is traditional and I would not change it, because the warm metal stops the bag reading funereal.

Now the honest note. Crocodile dislikes water and dry air. I do not carry this one in rain, I keep it away from radiators, and I store it in its dust bag with a little breathing room. Treated like that, the scales stay flat for decades; treated like a canvas tote, they will tell on you. For parties between October and April, it is the best-dressed bag I own. One more habit: I let it breathe for an hour after an evening out before it goes back in the dust bag.