Hermes

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The Definitive Guide to the Hermès Kelly

The Hermès Kelly is arguably the most classic and fashionable handbag of all time: with a naturally accommodating and elegant-yet-useful design, produced over the years in a variety of materials and in two structures with various iterations, the Kelly has been consistently covetable and a perennial “It Bag” for the past few decades if just slightly less popular than the Birkin.

Time for a deep dive into this amazing bag (which also happens to currently be my favorite).

Table of Contents

• The History of the Kelly Bag
• The Anatomy of the Kelly Bag
• The Two Kelly Structures
  • Sellier
  • Retourne
  • Mini Kelly II
  • Kelly Pochette
  • Kelly Cut
  • Kelly Danse
  • Kelly Doll
  • Kellydolle Picto
  • Kelly Picnic
  • Kelly Depeches 25 Pouch
  • Kelly Wallet
  • Kelly Compact Wallet
  • Kelly To Go
  • Mini Kelly I
  • Kelly Longue
  • Kelly Ado
  • Kelly Lakis
  • Micro (15cm) Kelly
  • So Kelly
  • Au Galop
  • Casaque
  • Candy
  • Ghillies
  • Lettre
  • In & Out
  • Shoulder (JPG)
  • Fringe Shoulder
  • Verso
  • Waffle (a/k/a Dwitch)

  The History of the Kelly Bag

  The Kelly bag is, of course, named after Princess Grace Kelly, who famously used her handbag to hide her pregnancy in 1956.

  At the time she was one of the most famous women in the world, having left her American movie star life to become the wife of Prince Ranier of Monaco. The paparazzi photos of her shielding her baby bump with her bag ended up everywhere, including Life Magazine, thrusting her Hermès bag front and center into pop culture.

  The bag became increasingly popular and was renamed in her honor.

  However, years before it was popularized by Grace Kelly, it was just a simple, practical design; as explained by the Hermès website, it was created in 1935 by Robert Dumas and called the Sac à Dépêches, which in itself took design elements from the older Haut à Courroies (HAC) bag, which was designed in the 1850s; the Monaco bag was also influential over the Kelly design.

  The Anatomy of the Kelly Bag

  Like all Hermès bags, a Kelly is assembled by hand by one craftsperson; the Kelly takes about 18 hours of work. Most Kellys are lined in chevre (although some are lined in swift, depending upon the exterior leather or if a different leather is selected via Special Order). There is actually a specific process for putting the bag together, as explained in this wonderful article.

  As a general description, the Kelly is a north-south trapezoidal top-handle bag, featuring a strap (called a sangle) near the top of either side which is woven through the sides of the bag to close over a front flap, which can further be secured with a provided lock (cadena) and key.

  The hardware includes four bottom feet, plaque on the front with a turnlock (touret) over which the sangles are secured, and a double ring at the base of each side of the handle for a shoulder strap. The strap has been provided with the bag since the mid-to-late 1980s, but before 2000 there was only one ring on each side of the base; the second ring was added to enable easier use of the strap.

  The Two Kelly Structures

  The Kelly comes in two structures: Sellier and Retourne.

  Sellier

  The Sellier structure features external structural stitching of the separate leather parts of the bag and provides a firmer shape.

  This, in addition to the fact that Sellier Kellys are usually made with Epsom, Chevre, Box, Tadelakt or exotic (Crocodile, Alligator, Ostrich, Lizard) leathers which are generally firmer and tend to hold their shape very well, provides the bag with a pronounced structured appearance (previously, this structure was also known as Rigide).

  The Sellier bag is unlikely to slouch, although it will also have a slightly boxier and more formal appearance.

  Retourne

  The Retourne structure features internal stitching of the leather parts and has a more relaxed shape.

  It is usually produced in Togo, Clemence, Swift and Evercolor (note that Togo has also been an option for Sellier via Special Order, but is not currently), which are softer, more supple leathers.

  Retourne Kelly bags tend to be or become slouchier and have a more casual appearance.

  Available Kelly Hardware

  Currently produced Kelly bags are made with Gold, Palladium or (more rarely) Permabrass hardware.

  Special Order Kelly bags may also be made with Brushed Gold or Brushed Palladium Hardware. Certain very special Kelly Bags are made with Diamond Hardware. Rarely in the past, Kellys were also sometimes produced with Ruthenium (black) or Guilloche Hardware. Rose Gold Hardware has not yet been an option for the Kelly bag, although it has been used for some Kelly iterations, such as the Pochette.

  With all of these options, it can sometimes be tricky deciding which size or structure to get!

  Tips On Purchasing a Kelly

  The Kelly is considered a Quota Bag by Hermès. The purchase of Quota Bags is generally limited to two bags per year per customer – although actually getting one may be another story.

  The Different Kelly Sizes

  Each bag’s size is determined by its base’s length (so, for example, a 25cm bag has a 25cm long base). The Kelly sizes that are currently in regular production are 20 cm (“Mini”), 25cm, 28cm, 32cm and 35cm. 40cm, 45cm and 50cm Kellys are harder to find and are rarely (but sometimes) available.

  Each Kelly bag has a matching strap that is 85cm long, however straps in lengths of 70cm, 105cm and 120cm may be ordered. Kelly bags which are larger than the Mini (20 cm) size also come with a clochette, lock, pair of keys for the lock, and a rain jacket.

  There are many available on the secondhand market.

  How Much Does A Kelly Cost?

  Due to the additional amount of specialized work involved in the Sellier structure’s production, the Sellier Kelly’s price is more than the price of the Retourne; this price difference has generally hovered around the $1,000 mark. Of course, prices also vary depending upon the type of leather used.

  However, the prices of both structures and all versions of the Kelly bag have increased greatly over the past few years. For example, a 25cm Box Sellier Kelly’s retail price nearly doubled, from $6,900 in 2009 ($9,530 in 2022, adjusted for inflation) to $13,500 in 2022. A 32cm Togo/Clemence Retourne increased in the same time frame from $7,300 to $11,100, an increase of 52%.

  Style	Box	Chevre	Epsom	Togo & Clemence	Other
  25cm Sellier Kelly	$13,500	$11,400	$10,600
  25cm Retourne Kelly	$9,900
  28cm Sellier Kelly	$13,900	$11,800	$11,200
  28cm Retourne Kelly	$10,600
  32cm Sellier Kelly	$11,600
  32cm Retourne Kelly	$11,100
  20cm Mini Kelly	$8,900	$8,250	$28,500 (Matte Gator)
  Kelly Danse	$7,450 (Evercolor) $7,200 (Swift) $15,300 (Ostrich)
  Kelly Pochette	$6,050 (Swift)
  Kelly Cut	$6,750 (Doblis) $6,100 (Swift)

  Current and Past Variations of the Kelly Bag

  Hermès has arguably produced more iterations of the iconic Kelly bag than any other of its bag styles. The styles which are currently being produced include the following: