Hermes Birkin 35 Bag Handmade In Togo Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 2z Blue Nuit

Under restaurant light, Blue Nuit looks black. Step outside and the blue appears, navy-dark and cool, which is the quiet trick that makes this 2z shade so easy to live with. Silver hardware suits that night-time reading, though in daylight it makes the bag look noticeably more maritime than urban.

Togo in this depth of colour is about as undemanding as leather gets. Marks vanish, dust is the only visible enemy, and the pebbled grain keeps the surface from looking like a flat slab of pigment. The leather’s drape means the 35 softens around whatever you carry, so a full bag looks full in a good way rather than bulging.

For travel, which is where I use navy most, thirty-five by twenty-five by eighteen centimetres is the size that takes a passport wallet, a tablet, headphones, a scarf, a compact and a phone without a single compromise. The base is firm enough to stand the bag upright at your feet on a train, which matters more than people admit. For lighter days the same bag wears well half-full, and the frame keeps enough shape that it never looks collapsed.

My one reservation: against black clothing, and especially black leather, the difference between Blue Nuit and black barely registers, so if you want the blue to be seen, wear it with grey, cream or denim. If you want a stealth bag with a secret, this is exactly it.