Hermès Birkin 25 Rose Tea Togo Palladium Hardware 2014

Rose Tea is one of the quieter pinks the house runs — a muted, dusty rose closer to a neutral than to the brighter end of the range, and a colour that shifts noticeably between daylight and warm interior light.

Togo suits it. The pebbled calfskin, introduced in 1997, has a raised grain and fine veining that break up the surface, so a soft colour picks up shading across the panel rather than going flat. It also resists scratching and light water and stays light in the hand, which is why it became the house's most-used leather for this bag.

At 25cm the Birkin is at its most compact — the same silhouette Hermès has run since 1984, sangles and touret and clochette intact, at a scale that works into an evening. Palladium hardware, cool silver and tarnish-resistant, keeps the pink from turning sweet.

Blind stamp [R] (2014). In excellent condition, with its original dust bag. Authenticated in-house.