Hermes Picotin Lock 18 CM Bag Handmade In Taurillon Clemence Leather Silver Hardware 9R Lime

Lime is not a shy colour, and neither are the people who carry it. This green wears a yellow edge that catches light like new leaves, and against white, denim or grey it wakes an outfit up instantly – no accessory required. It is also the most fun I have had carrying a bag in years.

Eighteen centimetres on two axes, thirteen on the third: the Picotin 18, worked in Taurillon Clemence; its silver hardware keeps the sharpness honest. The pebbled leather gives the bright colour texture to live in; smooth leather in lime would be loud, but this version is loud and soft at once.

I pack it light on purpose: phone, keys, a cardholder and sunscreen, nothing that competes with the bag. It rides a bicycle basket, sits in a picnic blanket’s corner and turns strangers into people who comment on bags.

An honest caveat if you are deciding: lime is a two-season colour in most wardrobes, and pale marks show on it more than you would expect for a bright. If you want a green for all year, look to the darker ones; if you want the green that makes June feel longer, this is the one.

If your wardrobe survives on neutrals, this is the bag that proves colour is not the risk people imagine – I have never had to plan an outfit around it, only to stop worrying about the rest.