Hermes Kelly Depeches 25 Pouch Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 37 Gold

There is something reassuring about a tan leather folder: it looks like it has been to meetings before. Twenty-five centimetres across, nineteen and a half tall, four deep – the proportions of a slim portfolio that sits under the arm like a book. Epsom’s fine pressed grain keeps the surface uniform, and the silver turn-lock on the strap is the only cool note on an otherwise warm piece.

Capacity is specific but generous within its limits: an iPad mini and a notepad together, a passport, a boarding pass, eight cards in the slots, a pen, and receipts flat on the divider. On travel days I have used it as the pouch inside a larger bag – plane tickets and passport on hand, everything else out of the way – and it takes a hotel key card without the card getting lost in a pocket.

The trade-off worth stating: a rigid Epsom folder does not forgive overpacking or rough treatment. Close the strap over a full pouch and it looks fine; force it and the grain shows a crease that will not come out. Alezan aside, this tan shade is also the one that shows ink transfer most clearly, so cap your pens.

Kept to its job, it is the most quietly useful 25 cm of leather I have ever owned, and it looks better every year. Which is more than I can say for most of the paperwork inside it.