Hermes Calvi Duo Compact Card Holder Handmade In Swift And Chèvre Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware i8 Jaune Milto

Yellow is the hardest colour to buy from a photograph, so I will describe Jaune Milton properly: it is sunflower rather than lemon, warmer than a highlighter and softer than a taxi. In overcast light it turns almost mustard; in full sun it is unmistakably yellow. Two friends have asked for the colour code after seeing it in a cafe, which is the best test of a yellow I can think of.

The wallet is the Duo shape everyone knows by now – folded, clasp-free, one sleeve on each side – with ten centimetres of width and a seven centimetre height that sits exactly in the palm. Silver trim, barely visible against the dye.

I carried it through a summer of light jackets: a bank card, an ID, a transit pass and a folded note, which is the full capacity before the fold starts to strain. Swift’s fine grain keeps the yellow bright rather than muddy, the chèvre layer stops the shape going soft, and the surface never turns tacky in a hot pocket.

Be realistic about styling. A yellow wallet is for people whose other carry is beige, grey, black or denim; it looks silly with green, brown or anything red. Bright wallets are also the ones strangers comment on, which is charming until you would rather not explain yourself at a checkout.

Kept as a summer piece and conditioned twice a year, this is a colour that stays cheerful long after the trend shades have been retired. The fold has kept its crisp edge through a full season of use.