Hermes Kelly 32 Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 2Q Vert Anglais

Some greens are for spring and some are for deep winter – Vert Anglais belongs to the second kind. It is the green of a shaded garden after rain: saturated but dark, the colour of old library reading rooms and waxed jackets rather than lawn parties, and Epsom gives it an even, matte-deep finish instead of any shine.

I carried this Kelly 32 to a gallery opening under a grey coat, and the colour did the styling for me. Gold hardware lights the undertone, and Epsom keeps the body standing straight on the floor beside a chair. The 32-centimetre width takes a tablet, notebook and zip pouch without losing its line.

Daily behaviour is where Epsom earns its keep: a wipe with a dry cloth after a rainy commute is all the maintenance it wants, and unlike softer calfskins it does not darken in the rain or spot around the handle mounts. The embossed grain is deep and even, so the surface never turns shiny at the corners.

The trade-off is in low light. Indoors at night this green falls to near-black and its character disappears, so own it for daylight. And because the leather is rigid, it will feel more like fine luggage than a cushion when you first carry it.

Paired with camel, ivory or charcoal, it covers both dressed and undone days, and I reach for it most in autumn, when the low sun flatters the green. In high summer it waits in its dust bag.