Hermes Rodeo Robeo 24 PM Charm Horse Milo Lambskin Noir – Vert Mangrove – Céleste H087349CAAB

Black lambskin with a dark mangrove-green blanket and a sky-blue flash of Céleste: this is the Robeo for people who dress at the knife edge between formal and casual. It is the least cute of the horse charms, and the one I pack for travel. It is the charm equivalent of a flight jacket.

Eight and a half centimetres long and two deep, it is small enough to sit in a shirt pocket and solid enough to survive a suitcase. The blanket clips on with tiny fittings; the green-on-black pairing means it reads quietly in a hotel lobby and interestingly under airport lights. The blanket has a thin Céleste edge that only shows when the light is right.

It has been to four countries on the handle of a black holdall. The Céleste detail is the traveller’s reward — a scrap of sky against all that black — and the charm has survived overhead bins, tray tables and the occasional rain shower without a stain. It has also been the only decoration I have ever needed on a rental-car keyring. On the last trip it doubled as the zipper pull on a leather pouch.

One fair warning: mangrove green looks black in dim light, so if you want the colour play, wear it against grey or tan. And keep the blanket clips somewhere safe when you swap them — they are the only fragile part of the piece. Stored flat, it keeps its lines for the next crossing.