Hermès Birkin 25 Bag Handmade In Swift Leather Gold Hardware 9J Feu

Feu means fire, and this is not a colour that whispers. It is a saturated orange with red in it, and Swift is the leather that shows it off best, because Swift takes dye deeply and evenly, so the tone is rich across the whole panel with no mottling.

Swift is a smooth, fine-grained calfskin. It is softer and more pliable than Togo, and it takes a beautiful fold at the flap. The cost of that softness is that it marks a bit more readily. I have a faint line near the base from a car door and I have decided to call it character. Swift also takes a fold beautifully, so the flap drapes over the front instead of standing away from it.

Functionally it is the classic 25: twenty-five centimetres across, twenty high, thirteen deep. Phone, cardholder, keys, a compact and a slim pouch fit comfortably. This is a bag for lunch, meetings and evenings, not for hauling a laptop.

My honest advice on the colour is to commit. Orange this strong needs a wardrobe that can take it, and it is at its best against navy, grey, white and denim. Against a lot of pattern it can start to look busy. I would keep this one out of the back seat of a car in high summer; intense heat is the one thing that dulls a vivid dye.

The gold hardware is a natural partner here and picks up the warmth in the dye. After a season the Swift has softened and gained a light sheen but kept its colour well.