Hermes R.M.S. Card Holder Handmade In Evecolor Calfskin Leather Enamel Fittings Hardware 6u Vert D’Eau 9o Jaune De Naples

Mint and yellow together sounds like an unlikely pairing until you see how the R.M.S. card holder uses them: Vert D’Eau across the body, Jaune de Naples showing along the edges, the two colours landing somewhere between a vineyard and a lemonade stand, with the enamel fitting holding the arrangement together.

Dimensions are 10.5 by 7 cm with 2 cm of depth, and the Evecolor calfskin is soft but structurally solid, so the holder holds its shape when it is half empty. Cards enter edge-on and sit flush; nothing pokes out to catch on a pocket lining.

Mine carries five cards and a folded note. In summer, with light trousers and a linen shirt, it is the only accessory I bother with, and the pale surfaces show almost no heat marking, which matters when a card case spends a day in a warm pocket.

The trade-off with light two-tone leather is that any dark mark shows up on at least one surface, so I keep the holder away from coins and keys. Treated that way it has stayed bright, and the enamel detail has kept its shine through a season of garden lunches and long drives.

Where it belongs: a linen jacket in June, a market in July, a beach restaurant in September. It is the holder that pairs with the palette of warm weather, and the two-tone construction means it can be the only colour in an outfit of white and sand. That is a surprisingly useful role.