Hermes Oz Mule Women Calfskin Sliver Kelly Buckle Beige Nomade H232120Z 32365

Nomad beige earns its name. This Oz mule has been to three countries on two continents, always in the bottom of the bag, and the colour never once looked wrong when I put it on at the other end, which is the entire case for a warm neutral flat.

The mule is calfskin with a palladium Kelly buckle and a matching nomadic beige lambskin lining, on a black leather sole and edge. There is a centimetre of heel behind the front and a small drop to the forefoot; in practice it reads flat and walks like it.

I wear it with everything from hotel corridors to a linen suit at a wedding, and the flat profile means it disappears under wide trousers. Sizes run 36 to 41. The open heel keeps feet cool, which on travel days matters more than elegance does.

An honest observation: because there is no back, the inside edge of the sole is what receives all the dust your feet bring, and beige lining shows it. A damp cloth down the footbed every few days takes ten seconds and keeps the interior from going grey. Gravel and beaches will scratch the exposed heel edge.

After a year the pale calfskin has darkened slightly at the strap, where I pull it on, and the sole has softened and shaped to the ball of my foot. Made in Italy. A mule you stop thinking about, which is what makes it worth packing.