Hermes Oasis Sandal Women High Heel Sandal in Swift Calfskin Noir H071002Z 01340

How many pairs of black sandals does one person need? More than one, if the heels differ — a flat for the day, and something like this Swift Oasis, which sits just under two inches and gives a summer dress the shape a flat cannot. The second pair is the one you keep for evenings when the first is tired. Even after two summers the shape holds.

Swift calfskin is smooth and supple, so the vamp follows the arch of the foot and the ankle strap tightens without pressure. The heel is short, the H cut-out is the only decoration, and the sizes run from 36 to 41, made in Italy, reference H071002Z 01340. In the hand they are almost weightless; on the foot they feel more substantial than they look.

This is the sandal I wear to dinner on holiday when the alternative is a pair of heels I will regret on the walk home. Against black it disappears; against colour it lets the dress do the talking. They are the sandals I leave by the door of a hotel room for dinner. Only a beach and a downpour would make me choose anything else.

An honest limitation: black smooth leather shows dust and fingerprints, particularly on the heel and the vamp, and unlike embossed leather it will not hide a scuff. A wipe and a little cream keep them respectable; a week in a beach bag will not. Condition them before they look dry rather than after.