Hermes Birkin 25 Bag Handmade In Togo Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 9D Jaune Ambre

Same amber yellow, opposite hardware, entirely different bag. With gold plates this one goes warm and autumnal, closer to honey than to citrus, and it sits naturally beside camel, rust, cream and brown. I would pick this version for winter and the silver one for summer. Amber also works as a bridge between brown and orange in a wardrobe, which makes it more useful than a pure yellow.

French Togo, twenty-five by twenty by thirteen centimetres, gold-tone studs and flap plates. The pebble grain gives the amber a soft dappled surface that reads rich without any gloss. The rolled handles are finished with the same leather, so they darken with hand oils at the same rate as the flap edge.

Contents are the usual compact set: phone, card wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick, with just enough room left to lay a folded silk scarf on top. The rolled handles are comfortable on the forearm.

One practical warning about warm yellows in grained leather: hand oils show up as a slightly deeper tone along the flap edges and handle rolls over time. It is the kind of wear that blends into the colour here rather than standing out, so amber is more forgiving than, say, pale cream. Stored away from direct light, mine has kept an even tone across the panels.

Mine has deepened pleasantly with sunlight and the gold hardware has kept its finish. The stitching along the flap corner is tight and consistently spaced.