Hermes Oasis Sandal Women High Heel Sandal in Epsom Heritage Calfskin Gris Asphalte

Gris asphalte is the colour of a wet city street, which makes it a strange thing to want from a summer sandal — and yet the grey works, because it is cool, slightly mineral, and refuses to be either beige or black. I think of it as tailoring grey rather than fashion grey. It suits black-haired and grey-haired wearers equally, which I doubt of many neutrals.

It arrives on the Oasis silhouette: Epsom Heritage calfskin, the H cut-out on the vamp, five centimetres of heel and a 4.5-centimetre pitch down to the front, in the 36 to 41 run, made in Italy. The pressed grain keeps its shape in humidity, which is why I take these to hot cities.

I pair grey with everything the way other people pair black. It softens a bright dress, sharpens a pale one, and looks particularly good against denim that has faded past its blue. On holiday it reads urban in a way a sandal usually does not. With a grey silk skirt they look almost monochrome; with white they look deliberate.

The thing to know: grey picks up a green cast under some indoor lighting and can look flat in photographs taken at night. Outdoors in daylight it is one of the best neutrals in the wardrobe. If most of your occasions are after dark, a warmer tone may serve you better. A grey that goes dull can be revived with a neutral cream rather than a polish.