Hermes Kelly Pocket 18 Belt Epsom Calfskin Kelly Buckle Permabrass Yellow Gold Craie H081120CC10

A belt with a pocket sounds like a gimmick until you use it for a week. The Kelly Pocket 18 carries a snap pocket measuring 4.1 by 2.4 inches on the strap, which is exactly the size of a hotel key card, a folded note, or a car key. In Craie, the chalky off-white Epsom calfskin, it stays subtle about it.

I took mine travelling and stopped carrying a bag in the evenings. The pocket sits at the back of the waist where a jacket covers it and where, in summer, it is small enough to read as a detail rather than a compartment.

Fitting is by the usual sliding system, one strap covering 21.7 to 39.4 inches, with the Kelly clasp plated in yellow gold. On white denim and a chambray shirt it is the only accessory I want; with a black dress it looks almost like a utility piece.

Honest notes: Craie is chalk-white leather, so it marks, and the pocket adds a slight bulk under a tight knit at the front. Wear it at the waist rather than the hips and neither bothers you. Made in France.

Two practical notes for a chalk-white belt: store it away from dark denim and leather so nothing migrates into the surface, and treat it with a colourless balm before the first wearing rather than after the first mark. The pocket itself needs no attention, and the snap is firm enough that a card will not slip out on a bicycle ride.