Hermes Lindy Mini 19 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Silver Hardware 1k Bambou

Bambou is a green with the yellow left in — fresh, slightly acidic, the colour of new shoots. It sounds difficult on paper and turns out to be one of the easiest brights I have carried.

For the record: nineteen by twelve and a half by nine centimetres. That means a phone, a slim wallet, a key ring and a lip balm, plus the folded strap when I want it out of the way. It is a small bag, not a pretend-small one, and it stays honest about that. I treat the two zips as handles on busy mornings, which is exactly what they are for.

Clemence’s soft pebbling keeps the brightness from looking plastic; the grain breaks the surface up so the green reads as dyed leather rather than paint. Silver hardware underlines the freshness, and the clasps stay bright without competing with the colour.

I wore it through a rainy spring with no marking, though light greens do show water spots if you let a splash sit — a wipe with a dry cloth is enough. The bag also lightens a room in a way greys never manage. Corner wear, when it eventually appears on this colour, shows as a slightly brighter green rather than a scuff — the dye goes deep through the hide.

The trade-off is simple and honest: bambou is a colour people comment on, often. If you would rather your bag stayed anonymous, this is not the one; if you want a small bright thing in a grey wardrobe, it is exactly the one.