Hermes Evelyne 33 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Silver Hardware 8L Beton

Some bags only make sense in summer, and this is one of them. Beton is chalk white with a hint of warmth, and on the large Evelyne it reads like raw linen rather than paint. I took mine on a coastal trip and it never looked out of place beside straw hats and sun-bleached shirts.

Taurillon Clemence keeps the pale colour wearable: the pebbled grain scatters light, so small grey marks hide better than they would on smooth calfskin. Even so, this colourway asks the most from you. Sunscreen, ballpoint ink and dark denim are its enemies, and I would not break in a new pair of jeans with this bag on my shoulder. A dry cloth once a week is the whole maintenance routine.

What fits surprises people who only know the small Evelyne. Thirty-three centimetres wide takes a rolled towel, a paperback, sunscreen and a bottle, and the bag still lies flat against the hip. The rear slip pocket holds my phone, and the long canvas strap adjusts to sit over a swimsuit or a sweater.

Silver-tone metal suits chalk white; gold would tip it somewhere more formal than a beach day wants. The honest drawback of the design is the open top, which lets rain and sand wander in, so I fold a scarf across the contents when the sky looks uncertain.

After a full summer of use, the leather shows only the soft shading Clemence does so well, and the colour has kept its brightness. It is the bag I would hand to anyone who believes white leather is impossible to live with.