Hermes Mona Sandal Women Swift Calfskin Naturel H261092Z A3355

Mona in Naturel may be the quietest sandal in this batch, and the quiet is deliberate. Undyed Swift calfskin over a natural leather sole is about as close as a shoe gets to the raw materials themselves, and nothing in the design interrupts that.

The sole carries a dark natural edge and heel, which gives the sandal a drawn outline and keeps the pale upper from drifting. Inside, natural lambskin runs through the footbed and the interior, so the inside of the shoe is as unadorned as the outside.

I wear this pair the way I wear a straw hat: with everything, unthinkingly. Sizes run 36 to 41. It works at a farmers’ market and at a table with a white cloth equally, mostly because it never tries to be either. The flat sole has crossed more of my summer than any other shoe this year.

Honest expectations: natural calfskin marks. Indigo, grass, sunscreen and spilled wine all leave traces, and a leather sole should not meet wet pavement if you want it to last. None of this destroys the shoe; it simply makes each pair slightly unlike every other.

After a summer of hard use, mine had patinated to a soft biscuit colour with darker edges and a sole burnished like a favourite belt. Made in Italy. The most honest sandal I own, and the easiest to reach for; if it ever wears out, I will reorder without thinking about it.