Hermes Santorini Sandal Women Swift Calfskin Naturel H211178Z A3350

Skin-tone sandals are the pair people ask me about most, usually after they have seen a set of wedding photographs. This Santorini in a natural calfskin shade is about as close as a strap gets to disappearing: the vamp settles into the instep and the leg simply looks longer. Because the tone sits so close to skin, the sandal reads as a lengthening line rather than an accessory.

The leather is smooth and firm enough to keep its shape, with a natural leather sole and edge so the whole sandal sits inside one tonal family. Inside, hazelnut goatskin lines the insole; the ankle strap fastens with a palladium-plated buckle. Heel height 0.4 inch, front rise 0.2 inch, the run starts at 36 and ends at 41, and the pair is made in Italy. The edge is left natural, which is why the silhouette looks unbroken from the side.

I have worn a pair like this to two weddings and a christening, and the same shoes took me back along a beach path afterwards without complaint. They flatter a tan instead of competing with a bright dress, and in daylight photographs they do the leg a favour most flat sandals do not. Photographers like them for the same reason: they never fight a dress.

One thing to plan for: a natural tone deepens slightly where the foot rests, and sunscreen speeds that up. Rinse your feet before you put them on and the patina stays even.