Hermes Kelly Pochette Handmade In Lizard Leather from South Africa Silver Hardware 1B Ombre

Some names explain themselves, and Ombre is one: a deep, shadowed tone that reads charcoal in a dim room and warm brown in daylight. In lizard, with silver hardware, it changes character as you move, which is more fun than a flat neutral has any right to be.

The dimensions are the familiar 22 by 12 by 7 cm, so it takes a phone, a card sleeve, keys and a lipstick and closes cleanly over them. I use it mostly in the evening, held by the single handle over the wrist, or set down on a table where its firm little body stands up straight.

Lizard holds a shape like this better than almost any calfskin, because the skin is dense and stiff. The cost is fragility at the edges: those small scales will lift if the bag takes a knock, and they dry out under strong light. Store it in the dust bag, keep it away from car keys, and condition very lightly once a year.

Done that way, Ombre is the exotic that goes with everything and needs no occasion.

Practically, Ombre is the lizard I would recommend to someone buying an exotic for the first time. It takes no discipline about color, it hides the dust that shows on black and the scuffs that show on pale tones, and it works with whatever coat I am wearing from October to April. In short, the least demanding special leather I own.