Hermes Constance 19 CM Bag Handmade In Matte Alligator Leather from Mississippi Silver Hardware 80 Gris Perle

Matte alligator is the introvert of the exotic family, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Where the polished finish announces itself from across a room, this one waits until you are seated next to it – the scales are flat, velvety and slightly waxy to the touch, and Gris Perle’s pearl grey makes the skin look almost like carved soap.

The skin is farmed in Mississippi, the standard American source, and the matte treatment asks more of the raw skin because there is no shine to hide irregularities in. What you get in return is a surface that does not fingerprint or glare, and a colour that changes with the temperature of the light: grey in shade, cream in sunlight. Silver hardware keeps it cool and even.

It remains in the middle of the family size-wise, so the capacity is disciplined – phone, card case, a thin keyring, lipstick and a pocket mirror – and the fixed strap carries it at the hip or across the body. Because the matte finish has a slight nap, the bag grips fabric a little more than a shiny leather does; with silk, I smooth it rather than pulling it.

Two rules before owning it. Matte exotics show water above all else, so this is a bag for dry days and covered cars, and blotting rather than rubbing is the rule if a drop lands. And friction over years will gently burnish the scales on the back where it touches your clothing, deepening the grey there. Most owners, myself included, think that specific change is worth living with.