Hermes Bouncing Sneaker Men Technical Mesh Sport Goatskin Blanc H261897ZH90390

This is the white pair with a party trick underneath. The upper is all white technical mesh and sport goatskin, but the sole carries black and orange inserts, so the palette changes as the wearer moves. From eye level across a room it is simply a clean white sneaker; in motion, it is noticeably not.

Mesh and sport goatskin split the jobs: breathability low on the shoe, structure high, where the eyelets take tension. The four centimetre sole is the taller version of the bouncing unit, white rubber with the inserts forming a two-tone band, and the men’s range runs 40 to 46. Inside, white lamb’s skin lines both the insole and the walls.

I find the height useful in winter, carrying the upper a few millimetres further from wet pavements. The recycled black fabric ribbon at the heel is the only dark note at the top of the shoe, and one white and one tone-on-tone pair of laces ship with it, so you can choose how loud the finish looks. The white lamb’s skin inside has kept its brightness, with no discolouration at the heel after a summer of barefoot wear.

Honest caveat: white mesh takes road dust, and the taller sole shows scuffs higher up than usual, near the knuckle of the shoe where you least expect to look. Cleaning is a ten-minute-a-week habit with a soft brush. Skip it for a month and the pair will let you know it noticed.