Hermes Chypre Sandal Men Techno-sandal Matte Mississippiensis Alligator Gold

Gold is a confident colour on any sandal, and on matte alligator it stops being loud and becomes warm. The scales hold the tone in bands of honey and amber depending on the light, and against the black insole and black rubber sole the sandal has real contrast without resorting to hardware to get it.

Comfort is unchanged from the rest of the Chypre range: the anatomical rubber sole is contoured under the arch, the insole is calfskin, and a single adjustable strap crosses the instep. It is made in Italy in sizes 40 to 46, and I have found the fit true, with the strap able to take up slack if your feet swell on a flight.

I take this pair when the light matters, holidays with long evenings and warm stone underfoot. It lifts a plain white shirt and beige trousers, and it looks right on terracotta tiles, which is more useful in summer than it sounds.

Care notes for the colour rather than the material: pale gold tones show water spotting and sunscreen marks more than darker exotics, and salt from the sea dries into a chalky film that dulls the scales. Rinse with fresh water, dry in shade, never on a radiator or in a car, and condition lightly once a season with a product that will not darken the leather. Treated that way, the gold has stayed warm and even, and the scales have kept their shape rather than drying into hard tiles at the flex points.