Hermes Kelly Pochette Handmade In Swift Calfskin Leather Silver Hardware B4 Sun

In February I want a bag the colour of August, and Sun delivers exactly that: a yellow with a hit of orange in it, the shade of a sunflower head rather than a highlighter. It fills a gap many wardrobes leave open, warmer than a butter yellow and softer than a true orange.

It arrives as the Kelly Pochette in Swift calfskin, 22 x 12 x 7 centimetres, with silver hardware that holds the warmth in check. What fits is a phone, keys, cards and the lipstick of the day. What does not fit: a water bottle, a hardback book, or anything you were planning to deal with later.

Living with a yellow this saturated means accepting that it is the loudest thing you will wear. It draws comments, and on a grey morning it can look wrong in the mirror until you add one more neutral to the outfit. Swift’s smooth surface keeps the colour even and rich and wipes clean easily, though the handle will develop a shine after a couple of seasons of hand-carry. Buffing brings it back to matte. Dust shows on a yellow this clean, so a soft brush travels with me.

I keep mine for travel, weddings and days when the weather is trying to beat me. It has never failed at that. It has also, twice, been the only thing anyone remembered about my outfit, which is a strange compliment in its own way.