The Hermès Kelly bag has always been among the world’s most highly sought-after designer bags. It can trace its roots to the first-ever Hermès bag: the Haut à courroies, a trapezoidal bag designed to hold a saddle and riding boots. In the 1930s, Robert Dumas created a similar but smaller trapezoidal bag and called it Sac à Dépêches.
Sac à Dépêches was used as a prop in the movie To Catch a Thief. The star of the show, Grace Kelly, liked it so much she chose to keep using the bag after filming. After she married Prince Rainier III, the Prince of Monaco, she used the bag to shield her budding pregnancy from curious eyes.
Consequently (and courtesy of the paparazzi), pictures of Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco holding an Hermès Sac à Dépêches made the rounds. The bag became so popular and firmly associated with the princess that Hermès decided to change the bag’s name, and Hermès Sac à Dépêches finally became the Hermès Kelly in 1977.
The Kelly: What It Looks Like and How It’s Made
The Hermès Kelly is a trapezoidal bag with a top handle attached to a front flap. The flap goes over the top of the bag and onto the front, and it’s held in place by two straps (i.e., the sangle).
You can leave the sangles open or overlap their metal ends (i.e., the plaque) together over a metal turn-lock or toggle (i.e., the touret) at the center. Turning the touret secures the flap. You can hang the included Hermès padlock onto the touret for added security. You can open the lock, as needed, using one of the keys inside the bag’s little pouch attachment (i.e., the clochette).
The Hermès Kelly comes with rings on the base of the top handle. You can attach a strap to it for carrying your Kelly over the shoulder or crossbody style. The Kelly also has four metal feet (i.e., clou), one on each corner of the bottom of the bag.
Every Hermès Kelly bag can take up to 18 hours of work. A single artisan handcrafts a Kelly bag from start to finish.
Hermès Kellys are usually a combination of leather and metal (i.e., hardware). However, Hermès can sometimes use different materials like wicker (i.e., Hermès Kelly Picnic), wood (i.e., Kellywood) and feathers (i.e., the Hermès Kelly Feather). The latter is quite rare, and Sotheby’s reports a limited-edition Kelly Feather in So Black selling for $264,000 in 2023.
The Hermès Kellyleather is usually Epsom and Chevre, but other options exist. You may also order yours with your preferred leather. Some of the leathers that have been used in a Kelly include:
- Swift
- Clemence
- Togo
- Barenia
- Box Calf
- Chamonix
- Fjord
- Buffalo Skipper
- Ostrich
- Lizard
- Nile Crocodile
- Alligator
Kellys made of Nile crocodile leather are some of the most expensive bags, especially the Himalaya variant, which gets its name from the delicate white gradient reminiscent of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains. As a case in point, a Hermès Kelly 25 Himalaya sold for over $373,000, according to Sotheby’s.
The hardware on a Kelly bag can be gold-plated or palladium-plated:
- Palladium (PHW)
- Brushed palladium (BPHW)
- Gold (GHW)
- Rose gold (RGHW)
- Brushed gold (BGHW)
Kellys may also be studded or styled with gems and precious stones (e.g., diamonds). A Kelly Himalaya with diamond hardware is one of the most valuable Kellys, and Sotheby’s records indicate a diamond-encrusted Hermès Kelly 28 Himalaya sold for $425,000 in 2023.
Hermès Kellys can come in two distinct styles: the Sellier, with external stitching, and the Retourne, with internal stitching. The Hermès Kelly Sellier has sharp edges and a very structured silhouette, while the Hermès Kelly Retourne has a softer appearance.
The Hermès Kelly is offered in various sizes, typically ranging from 15 cm (i.e., the Kelly Mini) to 50cm (i.e., the Kelly Travel). The most commonly sought-after sizes for everyday use are the Kelly 25 and 28, although the Kelly 32 and 35 also make an excellent daily bag.
The Kelly bag’s color palette is extensive, with the classic hues of black, gold, taupe, red, and cream. Kellys also come in various shades of blue, pink, green, and pastel. There are multi- and duo-tone Kellys and gradient-colored ones (e.g., the Himalaya), too.
Getting a Kelly
Like the Birkin, the Hermès makes a limited quantity of Kelly bags every year. Hermès decides what leather, hardware, sizes, colors, and styles they’ll come in, and if you want a brand-new Kelly, you may not have much choice about which Kelly you’ll get.
You may not even get to see a Kelly in a Hermès store. To be shown a Kelly (or a Birkin), you need a good relationship with an Hermès sales associate. You can imagine how hard it can be to order a custom Kelly. You have a better chance of landing your preferred Kelly, a collector’s item (e.g., Himalaya, Doll Picto) or a limited-edition Kelly at a store for pre-owned branded bags in Dubai or some other luxury shopping center worldwide.
Complete Your Kelly Collection
An Hermès Kelly collection would never be complete without the Kelly spinoffs. These are Hermès bags and accessories inspired by the Kelly. They include the following:
- Kelly Cut: The Kelly Cut is a sleek rectangular clutch retaining the iconic Kelly features such as the top flap, turn-lock and handle.
- Kelly Longue: The Kelly Longue is also a trapezoidal clutch. It is larger than the Kelly Cut.
- Kelly Pochette: The Kelly Pochette resembles a Kelly Mini. However, it doesn’t have metal feet or the option for a shoulder strap. It is also more rectangular than the Kelly Mini.
- Kelly To Go: The Kelly To Go is a Hermès wallet that may be worn crossbody by attaching a strap.
- Kelly Danse: The Kelly Danse is a casual bag without a top handle but with rings at the back through which you can loop an extended strap.
- So Kelly: The So Kelly is taller than a Kelly. It’s a bucket-style bag with a shoulder strap attached to rings on the edges.
- Kelly Ado: The Kelly Ado is a backpack-style bag. It is taller than a Kelly. At the back, it has a ring at the top center and two bottom corners to hold the backpack straps.
- Kelly Dépêches: The Kelly Dépêches is a rectangular document holder with the Kelly’s signature straps, touret and top handle.
The Pinnacle of Luxury
There are many designer brands and many types of designer bags. However, if you want a remarkable luxury designer bag, go with a Kelly from Hermès.
