Hermes Lindy 26 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Gold Hardware 75 Blue Jean

Some blues want to be evening blues; Blue Jean is not one of them. It is the blue of a worked-in denim jacket — a mid-tone with a touch of grey, brighter than navy and calmer than cobalt. It goes with white shirts, camel coats and, obviously, jeans. Less obviously, it also handles black surprisingly well, which is why mine travels with me on most trips.

Taurillon Clemence, pebbled and soft, keeps the color from looking flat; gold fittings add a trace of warmth to a cool blue. The bag itself is the 26 centimetre Lindy — eighteen tall, twelve deep — the shape whose handles fold down and ride against the body once the strap takes over.

Contents for a working day: phone, cardholder, keys, sunglasses, a small umbrella in the wet months, and a pouch with chargers. The side compartments are perfect for a transit pass and a work badge, which I mention because I spent years dropping those into the main cavity of my earlier bags and hunting for them.

Two honest notes. First, the denim color story cuts both ways: soft blues can pick up indigo from brand-new jeans, so season them with a few washes first. Second, this hue looks different under shop lights and in daylight; judge it by a window. Neither is a flaw, but both are things I wish someone had told me before my first blue bag.