Hermes Rodeo Robeo Coeur PM Charm Horse Milo Lambskin Beige Marfa – Craie – Mangrove H086714CAAI

Beige Marfa is the colour of desert dust and camel coats, and on a small leather horse with a Craie heart and a mangrove-green accent it becomes something close to nostalgic. This is the Coeur for people whose wardrobes live in the warm half of the spectrum. It is the colour I reach for when summer has overstayed its welcome.

No more than 8.5 cm long including the tail, with the heart appliquéd on the blanket and the lanyard falling about two centimetres. Milo lambskin takes these flat, sandy dyes beautifully — understated, matte, close to suede from any distance, and honest up close where the stitching shows. The tail flicks upward a fraction, giving the horse a walk; up close you can find the seam, which I like.

It travelled with me through a long, dry spring: clipped to a beige carry-on at the airport, then to a canvas satchel on a train, then to nothing at all for a week because I wore it as a desk charm. Small objects become companions on trips, and this one has the passport stamps to prove it, metaphorically speaking. It has also spent an afternoon on a market stall, being asked about.

The honest trade-off: beige-on-cream has low contrast, so the heart disappears from a metre away, and warm dyes are unforgiving of scuffs. Keep it off abrasive fabrics and it ages like good luggage — slower and better than you would expect. Warm leathers forgive time more than most do. Handmade in France.