Hermes Gigi 50 Sandal Women High Heel Sandal Suede Goatskin Silver Kelly Buckle Violet Glycine H252152Z VY350

Wisteria sounds sweeter than the shoe actually is. Violet Glycine is a greyed, dusty purple, closer to a shadow on pavement than to lilac blossom, and in suede it goes quieter still, which is why it reads sophisticated rather than fanciful.

The Gigi 50 shape carries it well: a two-inch heel, a plated Kelly buckle at the toe strap, and wisteria lambskin across the insole and lining, so the colour continues inside the shoe. The sole and heel are black leather, which grounds the whole composition.

I wear these with charcoal, with washed black denim, and unexpectedly well with olive; purple and green have been friends for centuries and this muted version proves it. The last is slightly narrow, worth knowing if your foot runs wide. The heel is low enough to cross a lawn in, which is not true of every two-inch sandal.

Two honest notes. Suede nap flattens wherever the straps press, so a brass brush and half a minute of work every few wears keeps the surface even. And two-inch heels belong to dry pavements; these do not want to meet wet cobblestones.

Over a summer the violet deepens slightly where the light hits most, like fabric left in the sun, and the suede softens at the toes. Made in Italy. Two summers on, this is the pair I lend out least. A heel sandal for anyone whose wardrobe has had enough of black and beige.