Hermes Royal Loafer Women Calfskin Sliver Buckle Blanc H222300Z 91365

Fringe on a white loafer is a lot of statement for one shoe, and yet the Royal carries it off because the fringe is cut short and kept to one line across the vamp: enough to swish when you walk, not enough to look like costume.

The frame underneath is practical for a pale shoe: a natural leather and black rubber sole, a dark natural leather edge, a heel of a centimetre and a half at the back with a similar drop at the front, held closed by a palladium Paris buckle, and lined in natural lambskin.

I wear mine in the bright half of the year, with sailor stripes, washed denim and a white dress, and the fringes move a little with the walk. Sizes run 36 to 41. The low heel and rubber sole mean a market morning costs nothing in comfort.

Honest expectations for white calfskin with fringe: the stripes of leather catch dust at the cut edges and will darken there over time, and the pale upper takes colour from wet grass and raw denim alike. Clean early with a damp cloth, brush the fringe with your fingers, and consider a light protectant before the first outing.

After a summer, the white has aged into more of a chalk and the fringe has softened into gentle waves around the toe. Made in Italy. A cheerful shoe that behaves far better than it looks like it will.