Hermes Evelyne 29 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Gold Hardware 18 Etoupe

I resisted Etoupe for years because it looked too safe, then borrowed a friend’s for a week and understood the fuss. The grey-brown sits between warm and cool, so it takes the colour of whatever you wear it with, and on the twenty-nine centimetre Evelyne it reads calm and expensive without any effort.

With gold-tone hardware, the combination warms up and looks especially good against camel, chocolate and olive. The soft Clemence body drapes as you wear it, the perforated H softens the front panel, and the grain picks up a light sheen after a few months. Nothing about it is rigid, including my view of it now. The taupe works with silver jewellery in summer and gold in winter, which is not a claim many bags can make.

A look inside my daily load: a zip wallet, phone, keys, earphones, a compact and a small pouch of odds and ends. It all sits comfortably, with the outside pocket reserved for my phone so it never sinks. The canvas strap is wide enough to sit on a coat without digging in, and shortens cleanly for evenings.

The one honest drawback of Etoupe in soft leather is that light rain can leave faint spots on the mid-tone until it dries, though they lift with a dry cloth. Mine has survived two wet springs, and I would still pick the same colour again. Three seasons in, the grain has stayed supple and the shade has settled into something even better than it was on day one.