Hermes Kelly Mini 2 19 CM Bag Handmade In Bright American Alligator Leather Gold Hardware 1Q Rose Confetti

Pink alligator is a sentence that raises eyebrows until you see the gloss. Rose Confetti is exactly what the name promises, confetti pink, cheerful rather than precious, and on bright-faced American alligator the colour has a candy-shell clarity that calfskin cannot reproduce. It is the bag to show anyone who thinks exotics have to look solemn.

What I like is the internal contradiction: the scales keep the pink from turning sweet, and the finish on each tile of the hide gives the surface a rhythm as it moves. Gold hardware echoes the warmth of the tone instead of fighting it, and the whole bag glows a little in candlelight.

At 19cm it is the same dependable small format, a phone, a card case, a lipstick and the keys, and light enough that the gator does not drag on the strap. American alligator is farmed and rigorously finished, so the hide is even, the scale pattern regular, and there is no fragility in daily use, only attention needed.

Keep it away from prolonged sun, which can dull a bright finish, and give the scales a light condition once a year. It is loud in the best way, and my recommendation is to let it be the only pink thing you wear.

Against a tan, linen or bare shoulder it is the whole outfit, and on grey days it is the antidote; either way, nothing about it is apologetic. I would rather own one bag like this than five safe ones.