Hermes Constance To Go Wallet Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 89 Noir

There is a moment in every airport when you empty your pockets into a plastic tray, and this is the wallet I want people to see. Noir on silver, in Epsom’s pressed grain, closed by the enamel fitting that is the whole signature of the piece. Nothing shouts. It is just quietly correct.

The Constance To Go runs 20 by 3.5 by 12 cm. Inside, cards sit in the slots, notes fold flat behind them, and there is room in the middle for coins or a hotel key card. Because it is this slim it disappears into a coat pocket, and with the strap attached it can be the only thing I carry to dinner.

Notes from two years of use. The grain has resisted keys, seatbelt buckles and a camera body rubbing against it, marks that smooth leather would have recorded permanently. The metal fittings have kept their colour and the enamel has not chipped. The one compromise is that black Epsom can look a little businesslike at a weekend lunch, so I sometimes reach for something louder on a Saturday. On those days this wallet rides inside a tote rather than in my hand, which is exactly the life it seems to prefer.

As a first serious wallet, or as the one that replaces three others, it is hard to argue with. I have bought it twice as a gift and watched both recipients stop shopping for wallets.