Hermes Kelly 25 Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 9D Jaune Ambre

Jaune Ambre is marigold yellow with a drop of honey in it: warmer and deeper than the pale yellows, and far easier to wear than the name suggests. On Epsom with gold hardware this Kelly 25 glows in autumn light and looks like proof of a decision made confidently.

The embossed grain holds the amber tone without blotching, and the rigid build keeps the shape pressed. At 25 by 17 by 7 cm it carries the usual day kit, phone, card holder, keys, compact, lipstick, plus sunglasses, and the gold hardware is exactly the right temperature for this leather; silver would have cooled the warmth into something sour.

My favourite way to wear it is with a camel coat in October, which sounds matchy and is not: the coat is quiet, the bag is not, and the two versions of gold hold each other up. With black it looks deliberate; with cream it looks lit from within.

Honest note, two parts. Amber yellows read one shade brighter on a screen than in daylight, so expect a slightly more muted marigold in person, and I think the reality is better. And like all mid-tone brights, it will not forgive scuffed corners, so I mind where I set it down. Otherwise, it is the sunniest bag I have ever carried, and I say that as someone who owned it through a rainy winter.