Hermes Kelly 25 Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 71 Bule France

Bleu France is a strong, saturated, unapologetic blue, and on a Kelly 25 with gold hardware it is the boldest classic in the collection. This is not a blue that blends; it is a blue that is either the best thing about your outfit or the reason the outfit works at all.

Epsom gives saturated colours a stable, even finish, and the rigidity of the leather keeps the shape looking decisive. Phone, card holder, keys, a compact, a lipstick: the 25 by 17 by 7 cm interior holds the essentials with the flap closing flush, and the gold hardware gives the blue a warm, almost regal frame.

Worn against grey it looks sharp; against cream it looks French; against black it looks like a secret. This is the bag I take to openings and evening events where the dress code is vague and I need to look like I read it anyway.

Honest note: strong blues are evident about everything. A scuff on Bleu France shows pale, the way a scratch on dark paint would, and it cannot hide in a corner the way a neutral can. Rotate it, mind its corners, and keep it dry. In exchange you get a colour with real point of view, the one bag in the batch that people will describe to their friends rather than name. I pair it with a white shirt and grey trousers, and it does more for the outfit than any accessory I have owned.