Multicolored woven straw wallet

Mustard, red and petrol blue in the same weave

The overall cast is warm. Mustard and red carry most of the surface, with orange and sand filling in behind them, while petrol blue and khaki arrive in short runs rather than blocks. That is what keeps it from tipping into fancy dress: there is plenty going on up close, yet it settles into one warm tone from a few steps away.

A closer look at the chevron weave

Every row is crocheted in a tight zigzag, so the surface sits in ridges rather than lying flat. Light catches one face of each strand and misses the next, and the raised chevron weave does more for the color than any print on a smooth canvas could.

Inside the multicolored straw wallet

Open it and the black lining takes over, which makes whatever you keep in there easy to pick out. Two open sections sit on either side of a central divider, and a zipped pocket runs down the middle.

A zip that goes all the way around, and a camel tassel

The gold-tone zip travels along the front edge and turns the corner, so the wallet opens flat without anything sliding out. A camel tassel with a napped, suede-look finish hangs from the pull, held by a small gold-tone cap, and that is what your fingers find first in a beach bag.

Where it goes for the day

It stands up in a bucket bag, lies flat in a clutch, and is small enough to carry on its own across a terrace or to slip into a jacket pocket on a cool evening. Against ecru linen, raw denim or a plain black dress, it supplies all the color an outfit needs. For a different shape, have a look at the compact and cork designs in the wallet aisle.

If you only ever carry coins and a card, the zip-round coin purses take up even less room.