Hermes In the Loop 18 Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Silver Hardware 55 Rouge H

Rouge H is the red that does not shout. There is brown in it, and a little black, which is why it can sit in a meeting next to a grey suit without looking theatrical, and then glow against a camel coat at dinner the way few colours do. It sits in the house’s red family as a classic rather than a fashion, which is my favourite kind of shade.

On this In the Loop 18 the proportions are what I think of as the honest small-bag size: eighteen centimetres across, a shade under twenty from loop to base, twelve at the gusset. The pebbled, spongy surface of Taurillon Clemence gives the dark red a depth that flatter leathers cannot match, and silver hardware keeps the whole reading cool and modern.

What I carry on a working day: phone, keys, a slim wallet, a cardholder for the office door, and a lipstick for after. On the shoulder the bucket tucks close to the ribcage, and the handle sits neatly in the hand for stairs and taxis. In a crowd I wear it crossbody with the flap turned against my side, which feels safer than open on the shoulder.

To be fair to the colour, one warning: in dim light Rouge H can pass for black, and under warm restaurant lamps it turns almost oxblood. If you want an unmistakable red, look at Rouge Casque instead. If you want the red that goes with everything, you are holding it.