Hermes MC² Euclide Card Holder Handmade In Epsom Calfskin Leather S4 Deep Blue

If you travel with a passport, a phone and not much else, this is the holder that fits between them. In Deep Blue the MC² Euclide reads almost navy, and its two stamped panels give it enough body to hold cards upright even when there are only four inside.

The measurements, 10.5 by 7.5 cm, are a little generous for credit cards, which is the point: the extra margin lets you pinch a card out with two fingers rather than picking at an edge. A central well takes a folded note or a hotel key card.

Deep Blue is a serious colour that does not advertise itself. Because there is no hardware anywhere on the piece, the surface stays one uninterrupted field of colour, and Epsom’s grain remains visible even in low light because it is stamped into the leather rather than sprayed on.

The limitation is the format rather than the finish: a card holder has no room for coins, and firm Epsom means you cannot overstuff it the way you might a softer wallet. Used as intended, with four to six cards and a note, it has been the most reliable piece of leather I carry.

Where it fits: a jacket at a wedding, a backpack on a train, a pocket while you walk the dog at night. Four cards, one note and no bulk to think about; that is the whole arrangement, and I have never once needed more than it holds.