Hermes Constance 19 CM Bag Handmade In Alligator Leather from Mississippi Gold Hardware i6 Rose Extreme

I have never seen a bag change a room the way Rose Extreme alligator does. The pink is unapologetic – hot, saturated, closer to a flamingo than a rose – and because it is applied over raised alligator scales, every tile catches the light at a different angle, so the bag seems lit from inside. This is not a bag for people who want to be discreet, and I am not one of those people.

The skin is Mississippi alligator with a bright, polished finish, and gold-tone hardware is the warmer, slightly retro counterpoint to the pink; silver would have made it colder and more modern. Nineteen by fifteen centimetres on the face, four deep in profile, structurally rigid, the H seated dead centre of the flap. From across a room it reads as jewellery; close up, as an animal pattern that happens to be pink.

What goes in is an evening’s worth and no more: phone, card case, keys on a silk cord, a lipstick and a compact. The fixed strap hangs it on the shoulder; the light catches the scales every time you shift, which is part of the entertainment. I have worn it with black, with white, once with red, and never had a dull outing.

What it asks of you: bright alligator is the least forgiving combination of colour and finish – the polished scales show any scuff as a pale line, and the pink makes the scuff visible from further away than a black would. It also should never meet rain, perfume or alcohol wipes. Mine is carried rarely, kept in a dust bag, and inspected before every outing. I call it my annual bag, not my daily one, and I enjoy it more for that.