Hermes Constance 19 CM Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 1Z Jaune Poussin

Can a yellow bag actually earn its place? Jaune Poussin made the case for me. It is not the hard yellow of a raincoat, more the warm tone of good butter, and it flatters olive, grey and navy rather than fighting them. I carried it for a week straight to test the theory and never once felt like the bag was wearing me.

A 19 x 15 x 4 cm frame keeps it neat. Inside goes a phone, a slim cardholder, keys and a lipstick; the single flap means nothing shifts when I open it one-handed on the move. The gold hardware warms the yellow further, where silver would have made the whole thing cooler and, to my eye, less friendly.

Epsom is the reason this works in a light colour. Its grain is pressed into the leather, so the surface is rigid and practical, and I have already wiped a coffee splash and a fingerprint off mine. What it will not do is soften: Epsom holds its shape almost stubbornly, which suits a bright bag that needs to look composed in bright rooms.

My honest caution is about dark denim and fresh newspaper ink, which transfer onto pale leather. Used with a little care, this is a cheerful, well-mannered companion from spring through autumn. It has become my bag of seasons rather than occasions, bright enough to lift a grey day but never the loudest thing in the room. The strap works over a coat as well as a shirt, which stretches its year well past summer.