Hermes Calvi Duo Compact Card Holder Handmade In Swift And Chèvre Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 71 Blue France

Some blues grey out with wear; Blue France is the one I have watched keep its saturation. Swift takes dye greedily, and seventy-one arrives as a proper saturated blue – flag rather than denim, cool rather than purple. I expected a deep royal and got something quieter and better: the shade of a well-worn chambray shirt.

It has been my plane wallet all year: two sleeves take a stored boarding pass and the cards I need on arrival, and the flat fold slides into a passport holder without adding bulk. Ten by seven centimetres, silver edging, no clasp to catch on anything in a security tray. Airport lighting, which flatters almost nothing, leaves it looking clean.

The two-leather build matters here. Swift is fine and matte and shows every fingerprint for about ten seconds before the grain swallows them, while chèvre underneath keeps the shape firm. The blue looks deeper with each month of handling, which is the opposite of what usually happens to bright calf.

Pairing is the only awkward bit. The shade sits one step away from navy, which is either perfect or maddening depending on the jacket – beside a true navy coat it looks like a mistake, beside grey or black it looks like a decision. With olive or tan it surprises you pleasantly.

Everything else about it is easy, and it is the one wallet I have never once thought about while using it.