Hermes Bouncing Sneaker Men Technical Mesh Sport Goatskin Beige Lin H261897ZH5K390

Linen beige is the colour I recommend to anyone building a summer wardrobe around stone, sand and olive, because it slots between all three without demanding anything back. On this sneaker the technical mesh carries a heathered weave while the sport goatskin overlays sit one shade cleaner, so the beige is not one flat colour but two neighbours.

The construction is the Bouncing formula: a white rubber sole of about an inch and a half, black and orange inserts along its edge, white lamb’s skin for the insole and lining, and a recycled black fabric ribbon at the heel. Made in Italy, men’s 40 to 46, with a white and a tone-on-tone pair of laces in the box.

I wore mine through a hot stretch of weddings and the mesh earned its keep; the shoe breathes even with socks in the high twenties. The beige deepens slightly at the toe creases over time, which on a pale summer shoe reads like a tan rather than damage, and honestly it suits the pair. With a weekly brush and nothing harsher, it looks a season younger than its miles suggest.

One caution: beige mesh shows the grey-blue smear of new denim more than any other mark, so avoid raw indigo until it stops crocking. Mine met the problem on a pale sofa instead. A damp cloth lifted it, but I choose where the pair sits more carefully now.