Hermes Kelly 28 Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 75 Bleu Jean

Denim blue and gold is an unusual marriage – cool cloth, warm metal – and it works better than it should on this Kelly 28. The faded Bleu Jean softens under Epsom’s fine grain, while the gold hardware adds a vintage warmth, and the result sits easily with chambray, cream knitwear and brown leather shoes.

The format is the classic 28 by 22 by 10 centimetres, firm in the hand and upright on a table. A compact wallet, phone, keys, sunglasses and a flat pouch fit without arranging; the flap closes flush over all of it. The strap is removable for dinners, though I mostly wear it crossbody on weekends.

Epsom keeps the denim blue from fading unevenly the way smooth leathers can, since the colour sits under the embossed finish and resists handling marks. It also means the blue will look the same in five years, for better or worse – there is no patina coming to deepen it.

Honest note: this is a soft blue, not a vivid one. If you want the classic blue that strikes across a room, look at the deeper navy of Blue Saphir instead; Bleu Jean is the pair-of-jeans blue, quieter by design.

For weekend tailoring and denim-on-denim, it is the bag that ties warm and cool together. It is also the one I lend to friends who insist they cannot wear gold.