Hermès Birkin 30 Le Tournay Rose Jaipur Epsom Palladium Hardware 2015

Hermès introduced the Birkin in 1984, after Jane Birkin sat beside Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight and told him nothing on the market held what she needed. The silhouette has not materially changed since, and at 30cm — the size the house now sees requested most — it is the version of the bag that does the most work.

Rose Jaipur is a bright pink, clear and warm, with none of the dustiness of the muted roses. Epsom is why it stays that emphatic. The leather is calfskin embossed under heat, so the cross-hatch grain is pressed into the hide rather than grown out of it, leaving a flat, uniform surface that carries a strong colour without shading or drift. Epsom is rigid and scratch-resistant besides, which is why a bag built in it keeps square corners years into use.

Palladium hardware, cool silver and tarnish-resistant, is the sharper of the two options against a pink this bright.

Blind stamp T (2015). In excellent condition, with its original dust bag. Authenticated in-house.