Hermes Gigi 50 Sandal Women High Heel Sandal Calfskin Silver Kelly Buckle Etoupe H251022Z X3345

Etoupe taught me that beige can be interesting. The colour is a greyed taupe, and here it appears twice: in the calfskin upper and, more subtly, as a matching leather insert set into the palladium Kelly buckle, which is the detail I notice every time I put them on.

The Gigi 50 shape holds a two-inch heel, which by any honest measure is about the outer limit of all-day comfort. Black leather sole and heel keep the base sober, and black lambskin lines the insole and the upper, so the pale exterior never shows dark marks from the foot.

In practice this is my summer work sandal. It reads formal enough for an office with a midi skirt and easy enough for a terrace with linen; the neutral buckles down with stone and grey, so I never think about matching anything.

One trade-off: etoupe calfskin is smooth and light, and smooth light leather shows the odd scuff as a faint shadow. A neutral cream polish and a soft cloth handle it, but if you want a sandal you can kick through anything, black is kinder.

Across a season the leather warms and softens at the strap, and the buckle insert takes on a slightly deeper shade than the upper, which is a nice split. Two seasons of workdays and weddings have left the calfskin sleek and the buckle unmarked. Sizes 36 through 41, made in Italy. Neutral was never supposed to be this interesting.