Hermes Oran Sandal Women Swift Calfskin Beige Nomade H202230Z 32400

Nomadic beige is a colour with dirt in it, and I mean that kindly. It is beige that has already lived outdoors: warm, slightly grey, much closer to the tone of a desert road than to pale sand. On a swift calfskin sandal it looks grounded rather than sweet, which is exactly what I want from a neutral I will wear almost daily. It is the opposite of a statement colour, and after a summer of wearing it I understand why people choose beige twice.

The edge of the sole is unfinished natural leather, left dark, and the lambskin insole and lining are dyed to match the upper. Heel height is around a centimetre with half a centimetre of drop. Reference H202230Z 32400, made in Italy, sizes 36 to 41, and the straight-cut edges keep the silhouette of the H cut-out sharp.

Mine have been everywhere a flat sandal should go: city pavements, a gravel path down to a beach, a long lunch where I did not want to think about my feet. The colour handles dust and dry grass without looking ruined, and it sits well with linen, khaki and denim, which covers most of my summer.

The catch is water. Dark natural edges and pale beige uppers react differently to rain, the edge darkens and the upper can spot, so I keep a cloth and a little neutral cream in my bag when travelling. Worst case, the sandal simply looks more nomadic than when it arrived, a risk I am willing to take.