Hermes Kelly Depeches 25 Pouch Handmade In Togo Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware M8 Gris Asphalted

Asphalt grey is the practical choice in this family, and I mean that as a compliment. Gris Asphalte is a mid-grey with a cool cast that quietly swallows the fingerprints, dust and minor scuffs a folio collects, so it keeps looking tidy with almost no attention from me.

The numbers are the same as its siblings: 25 by 19.5 cm across the face, 4 cm of depth, which is a passport-and-cards pouch that can also carry a phone and a slim notebook. It flattens under a laptop sleeve in my tote, and it reads as a clutch in the evening, which is why it travels with me more than any other piece.

Togo’s pebble grain is what makes the grey interesting instead of flat, and it stays matte over time. The honest caveat is that a cool mid-grey photographs a little duller than it looks in person; on a screen it can seem almost corporate, while in the hand it is softer and warmer.

Silver hardware suits it exactly. Mine has taken airports, taxis and restaurant tables, and the only change is a slight sheen where my thumb lifts the flap.

It has also turned out to be the folio I lend people. Gris Asphalte is neutral enough that nobody has to think about it, dark enough to be ignored in a formal meeting, and light enough to find inside a black tote. That is a lot of jobs for one piece of leather.