Hermes Izmir Sandal Men Matte Mississippiensis Alligator Vert Cypres

Cypress green is the colour of shade rather than sunlight, and on a flat sandal it does something unusual: it looks darker than most navy, yet never heavy. I bought this pair for a wedding on a terrace and have worn it through two summers of ordinary days since. It is the sort of colour that makes an ordinary pair of shorts look like part of a plan.

The hide is matte Mississippiensis alligator, its scales lying flat so the deep tone reads as solid colour instead of shine. Edges are cut clean without a fold, the H opening sits at the centre of the vamp, and the sole is a thin fourteen millimetres that keeps the profile close to the ground.

The model comes in 40 to 46. Cypress green softens over the first week of wear at the strap, and mine now sits exactly against the instep without pressure. If you have wide feet, the maker’s half-size advice is worth following here as much as on any other Izmir colourway.

Honest note on styling: this is the one shade in my collection that fights olive and khaki, because the tones sit too close and flatten each other out. Against stone, white, grey or denim it looks rich and intentional.

Three summers in, the green has kept its depth and the leather has taken on a soft sheen along the edges, which I like and cannot fake. If you want one pair that can attend a wedding and then walk to a market the next morning, this is the colour that does both.