Hermes Kelly Pochette Handmade In Swift Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware 9R Lime

Lime is not a neutral and was never meant to be, which is why I take it travelling. On a week away mine became the only bright thing in a suitcase of white shirts and denim, and it made every photo look deliberate.

The bag underneath the colour is the Kelly Pochette in Swift calfskin: a 22 cm frame, 12 cm tall, 7 cm at the gusset, with silver hardware that keeps the green sharp rather than soft. Capacity covers a day out, cards, phone, keys, lipstick and a small tin of balm, and the top handle slips over a wrist when you need both hands for a coffee and a map.

What to expect from the leather. Swift is fine-grained and smooth, and lime sits on it evenly with no patchiness, which cheaper neon finishes never manage. It will, however, pick up dark denim transfer if you let it ride against your hip on a hot day, and prolonged sun will eventually mute the tone. Mine has kept its brightness across two summers because it goes back into its dust bag between trips. The surface has stayed smooth, with no greasy shine at the handle even after a lot of hand-carry.

At home it works as an accent against white, grey and stone. I have taken it to a garden party, a book launch and a very ordinary supermarket run, and it behaved in all three. Not the bag for a job interview, unless the job is interesting.