Hermes Herbag Zip 31 Bag Retourne New Blue Jean Noir Handmade In Canvas and Hunter Cowhide Silver Hardware

Blue bags usually have to fight the rest of your wardrobe for territory; this one doesn’t. The New Blue Jean canvas is a softened, slightly dusty denim blue — the colour of a well-washed shirt — and pairing it with noir trim gives the Zip 31 a backbone that an all-blue bag rarely manages. With silver hardware, the whole thing stays crisp rather than precious.

Herbag construction being what it is, canvas body and hunter-cowhide top, the colour runs through both materials, and it’s the meeting point I like most: the fabric weave of the canvas against the smooth calfskin of the frame. Run a finger along the seam once and you’ll see why these bags get collected.

The bag is the 31 cm frame — 25 high, 10 deep — and it holds a real working day: a slim laptop and charger, a planner, headphones, and a compact umbrella in autumn. Even fully loaded it keeps its shape better than a soft tote, because the retourne edges have some body to them.

One thing worth knowing: the blue is at its most beautiful in natural light and can look flatter under warm indoor bulbs. Not a flaw, just physics. Also, hunter cowhide needs breaking in, so expect the handle and flap to feel stiff for the first weeks. They soften. Mine now folds like it was made to, which, of course, it was.