Hermes Constance 19 CM Bag Handmade In Chèvre Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware T7 Blue Hydra

Turquoise is a holiday colour that too often goes home with you and sulks. Blue Hydra does not: it is saturated and clean, with a touch of green that keeps it from looking washed out even under grey northern skies. I took this bag to the coast for two weeks and it looked just as good on the last day as the first, which is the real test of a bright chèvre.

Its 19 cm by 15 cm silhouette is the classic small Constance, and the chèvre version carries lighter than any of my calfskins. The daily kit is phone, a small wallet, keys and a sunscreen stick; when I travel I add a passport and boarding pass and the flap still closes flat and without a fight.

The grain here is fine and faintly luminous, so the turquoise seems to shift slightly as the bag moves, and wear has only made it softer to the touch, not duller in colour. Silver hardware keeps the temperature cool and reads as almost white in bright light.

My honest note: this blue is loud next to true reds and oranges, and I keep those apart in the wardrobe. With denim, white, sand or navy it earns its place in any season, and it is the bag most likely to get borrowed by friends. The leather has softened without losing any of its colour, and the corners remain smooth after two summers. It is the bag that starts the most conversations, and I mean that as a compliment.