Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 — Monogram, 2000

The size Audrey Hepburn asked for. 26 years of honey patina included.

The Speedy began in 1930 as the Express, a soft travel bag for the new age of fast trains and weekend trips. In 1965 Audrey Hepburn asked Louis Vuitton for a smaller version she could carry every day. The result was the Speedy 25, and it has been the house’s most recognisable handbag ever since.

This one was made in October 2000 in Louis Vuitton’s own workshop in San Dimas, California, which is what the “SD” in its date code stands for. The Monogram canvas is the same coated cotton LV has used for decades, built to take rain, scuffs and years of use. The vachetta leather on the handles, tabs and trim is untreated cowhide. It starts out pale and darkens with every year of handling, and on this bag it has turned an even, warm honey. That colour can’t be bought new; it only comes with time.

The 25 is the size that works for everyday life: phone, wallet, keys, sunglasses and a paperback fit without the bag losing its shape. It zips shut, and the brass padlock and both keys are included.

Honest note: the leather piping along the seams has cracks and darker spots in places. It’s normal on a Speedy this age and doesn’t affect how the bag carries, but look at the close-up photos so you know exactly what you’re getting.