Hermes Izmir Sandal Men Epsom Calfskin S2 Trench

A sandal in the colour of a trench coat sounds like a gimmick until you wear one, and then it makes complete sense. This khaki-beige Epsom calfskin sits between sand and olive, which means it works with almost every neutral in a summer wardrobe and quietly stops you wearing black on your feet again.

Epsom’s embossed grain gives the tone a flat, even surface, so the colour does not shift or darken unevenly the way smooth calf will. The edge is cut straight, the H opening shapes the vamp, and the sole is a low fourteen millimetres, keeping the profile flat enough to disappear under a linen trouser.

Sizes run 40 to 46, and this is the leather to size generously in, because Epsom does not stretch. I took my usual number and had room from the first wear; a friend between sizes went up and reports the strap sits better that way.

Honest note: beige and khaki are the tones dust loves most, and a pale Epsom surface shows a daytime of city walking by evening. It brushes clean in seconds, but you will own a shoe brush, and sunscreen on the hands is worth avoiding. The saving grace is that Epsom is the easiest leather in this model to wipe down, so the dust never really settles in.

Worn with white, stone, navy or olive, it is easily the most versatile colour in this model, and the one I would choose if I could only keep a single pair.