Hermes Kelly Mini 2 19CM Bag Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather Gold Hardware 47 Chocolate

Chocolate never gets the attention that black and tan get, which is a quiet injustice and exactly why I own one. Colour 47 is a deep, warm brown that stops just short of black, and on Epsom’s pressed grain it holds its depth without going muddy the way softer browns can.

Gold hardware suits it more than silver would — the warmth is the point of the bag, and dulling it with cool metal would waste the colour. This is also the leather that shrugs off rain and keeps its trapezoid shape empty, so the brown stays even and clean rather than collapsing into creases.

Contents: a phone, a cardholder, keys, one lipstick, packed into 19 x 12 x 5.5 cm. I use it for dinners, for autumn days, and for anything with a camel or olive coat, which is the pairing I enjoy most — brown against olive is one of those combinations that never asks for attention.

The one honest quirk of a dark brown at this size is how it behaves in light: in a dim room it can read as black, and only outdoors do you get the brown you bought. If you want a chocolate that announces itself, look elsewhere.

If you want one that works with almost everything, this is quietly one of the safest bags I own. It has never once clashed with a coat.