Hermes Constance 19 CM Bag Handmade In Alligator Leather from Mississippi Gold Hardware 89 Noir

There is a version of the little black bag that is quietly perfect and a version that is unforgettable, and alligator puts this Constance in the second category. The scales on this 89 Noir skin are raised, square and polished, so the black is never flat – it is a mosaic of small reflections that rearrange themselves as you move.

The alligator comes from Mississippi farms, the standard American origin, and the bright finish is unforgiving of imperfect skin, which is why good hides cost what they do. Gold hardware on alligator black is the classic combination; here the H sits like a piece of jewellery pinned to the flap, and the bag photographs like nothing else in my closet. It is a small bag by design, and it holds its shape with an almost architectural finality.

It is an evening bag in practice: card case, phone, keys on a slim ring, lipstick, a folded tissue. The fixed strap lets it ride on the shoulder against a dress, and I have also carried it by the strap in hand for a long dinner where it sat on the table and was admired more than the wine. Nothing about it is practical, and that is exactly its job.

Living with high-gloss alligator: the surface fingerprints and holds them, so a soft cloth travels with me on the way to an event. It dislikes water, alcohol sprays and perfume directly on the scales, and long dry spells can dull the finish slightly – a conditioner made for exotics, used sparingly twice a year, keeps it lacquered. Treated as jewellery, it stays jewellery.