Hermes Izmir Sandal Men Calfskin Moka H041141ZH05390

Brown is the colour that survives a summer without showing it, and moka is brown with coffee in it, deeper than tan and warmer than espresso. I bought this colourway to replace a pair I had worn into the ground, and it hides more than any other sandal I own.

The leather is smooth calfskin with a raw-edged cut: no rolled hem, just the leather finishing in a clean line that softens as it ages. The H cut-out shapes the vamp, and the sandal sits flat to the ground, so the whole thing disappears under a trouser hem or a bare ankle alike.

It comes in 40 to 46, and the fit is generous enough that my usual number worked straight away. Within a fortnight the calfskin had moulded across the top of the foot, and the cut-out stopped feeling like a detail and started feeling like part of the shape.

One thing to expect: a deep brown like this takes on patina fast. Sun and dust darken the surface a shade or two over a season, and pale scuffs from a kerb show briefly before they blend. Neither bothers me; both would bother someone who wants a sandal that never changes. I have stopped treating the darkening as damage, because it is simply how this leather behaves when you actually wear it.

With chinos, denim or a tan linen shirt it is the easiest sandal in the cupboard. It does not try to be noticed, and it never looks out of place.