I’d heard that leather was good in Turkey but was disappointed to find that, in Kalkan at least, most shops only stock genuine fakes (so every other person you see around town is sporting something that looks real…but isn’t). Not a fan of such things, if you can’t afford or can’t justify the price of the real McCoy why pretend you can?!, I was on the lookout for something simple and stylish yet sturdy.

So, having scanned the shelves of practically every shop in town (six of what must be ten in total) I was delighted to find the Misty May Leather Shop on one of the narrow and steep streets that run to the harbour. Whilst Ayla, the owner, does stock the “designer” labels but also carries a range of her own; understated and unbadged.

She was also kind enough to send for the only other holdall that her factory in Ankara (400 miles away) had available this week so that I could compare it to the simple black leather holdall that she had in the window.

“It’s reddish brown” she said. We tried, without any reference material, to establish whether it was a burgundy or a deep red or something else.

I went in yesterday evening to take a look…and I fell in love..it is exactly what I was looking for…and she’s right, it is reddish brown and can’t be compared to any other colour except, maybe, my reddish-brown auburn hair (ignoring the white strands, obviously).

So, there we have it, this bag and I were destined for each other.