Hermés: Leather Forever exhibition

Neon Kelly bag arrangement.

Until this weekend, the closest I'd ever been to an Hermés leather bag was when Jane Birkin showed me hers. Customized with worry beads, ribbons and Aung San Suu Kyi stickers, the eponymous bag had been given a delightfully irreverent spin. Costing over five and a half thousand pounds, a Birkin bag is well off my pay grade - but if you're in line for an astronomically-priced accessory, then this is how to wear it:

Jane Birkin's bag.

As the folks at Hermés point out, 'Fashioned by the rules of art, handsome leather does not spoil. On the contrary, it adapts to time. Grows in nobility. Is unwithered by age.' Just like the great style icon, herself. Apparently, unlike Victoria Beckham, Jane Birkin likes to have just one bag at a time and has only ever owned four Hermés numbers.

To celebrate the French luxury brand's 175th birthday, and the Queen's Jubilee, Hermés have just opened the Leather Forever exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. And it's fabulous. As well as an impressive range of products (including the Duke of Windor's sporran), there's a leather library and a room where artisans hand-craft bags right before your very eyes.

The exhibition is on until 27 May at the Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens - and is well worth a visit.