Hermes Constance To Go Wallet Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware S3 Rouge Coeur

Red on a wallet is a private pleasure, and Rouge Coeur is a bright, open red rather than the darker, more formal tones. With silver hardware it reads modern, and the enamel fitting keeps the colour front and centre where a wallet should have it.

As a Constance To Go it is 20 by 3.5 by 12 centimetres, slim enough to live in a back pocket without a bulge and wide enough to hold a passport card and a phone laid flat when you leave the tote at home. The strap is comfortable enough for a full afternoon, and it does not dig into a shoulder. Worn crossbody, it becomes a small shoulder bag for a dinner or a market.

Two honest points from carrying it. Epsom’s pressed grain will not scuff on keys, but bright red catches dust in the weave of the grain, so a soft brush now and then keeps it sharp. And silver suits this tone better than gold in daylight, though gold would be warmer by candlelight, which is a decision only you can make. Mine has been rained on twice, dried flat, and shows no water marks at all. The enamel has not dulled either, which is more than I expected on a wallet that gets knocked about.

It is the wallet I lend to my sister when she wants to feel put together at a wedding, and it always gets the same reaction, every single time.