Hermes Kelly 25 Bag Handmade In Alligator Leather from Mississippi Gold Hardware 81 Girs Tourerlle

Dove grey is a colour I did not understand until I saw it in alligator. Gris Tourterelle, the name is the turtle dove, is a soft, powdery grey with a whisper of mauve in it, and on the flat tile scales of Mississippi alligator it stops being shy and starts being substantial.

American alligator grows scales that are squarer and more block-like than crocodile, laid in flat tessellated rows; the effect is graphic and slightly armoured. The skin’s softer temper means the bag is still kind in the hand, the flap gives a little, the frame has a touch of movement. It is a 25 by 17 by 7 cm Kelly, so the discipline stays: phone, card holder, keys, a compact, nothing more ambitious.

Gold hardware against dove grey is one of the oldest and best pairings in the leather world; the warm metal keeps the cool grey alive instead of letting it go grey-blue and office-like. Up close the scales catch light in facets, which no photograph really renders.

Honest notes: alligator, like all exotics, wants a dry life, so no downpours and no radiators, and corners will slowly take on a rounded polish at the fold lines, which is normal and, to me, attractive. Grey alligator also magnifies every scuff on the tiles, so keep an eye on the base. For a neutral that is anything but ordinary, it earns its place.