Hermes Oasis Sandal Women High Heel Sandal in Epsom Heritage Calfskin Trench Etoupe

There is a reason trench coats and etoupe leather keep turning up in the same outfit: both are the colour of weather. This Oasis in trench etoupe is a slightly greener, more tonal beige, and it softens everything it is worn with. It has more green in it than a classic beige, which is why it flatters olive skin especially well. I have never had to think hard about what to wear with it.

The construction is unchanged — Epsom Heritage calfskin, the cut-out H on the vamp, the heel measures five centimetres, with the toe end 4.5 centimetres closer to the ground. Made in Italy, across sizes 36 to 41. The block heel keeps me stable on cobbles, and the pressed grain does not mark when a bag brushes past.

I take these when I am packing one pair for a trip: with white, with khaki, with all-navy they look correct in every combination, and the block heel handles old streets better than a stiletto ever could. They also photograph well in flat morning light, which is more than most sandals manage. On a spring trip with a trench coat they look as though they were bought for it.

Where it struggles: etoupe can look tired once it picks up dust in the creases, and this is a colour that does not forgive a dirty sole edge. A wipe after wear and an occasional clean along the side of the sole keep the whole thing looking deliberate. A shoe cream in a light neutral keeps the tone from going grey.