Kelly BagBy Hermès
In 1837, Thierry Hermès (1801–78) founded his eponymous luxury goods company in Paris as a saddle manufacturer, serving the era’s carriage trade. In 1880, under the stewardship of Thierry's son Émile-Charles, fine riding gear was added to its offerings to complement the saddles. Hermès eventually expanded their workshops to design handbags in the years that followed. The Kelly bag, originally introduced as the Sac à dépêches (“the dispatch bag”) in 1935, was created by Robert Dumas, son-in-law to Thierry's grandson Émile-Maurice Hermès.
Designed for independent women who wanted a piece that was both luxurious and efficient, the Kelly bag has a trapezoid shape, two triangular gussets, a sculpted flap and a handle.
To this day, the understated bag comprises 36 individual leather pieces, 16 studs and a signature padlock and leather key cover, with three layers of leather at the base to ensure the bag can stand upright. Each Kelly bag takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches owe solely to one Hermès artisan.
The Kelly bag earned its name during preproduction on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film, To Catch a Thief. Costume designer Edith Head sourced products from Hermès to outfit actress Grace Kelly, who fell in love with the Sac à Dépêches and continued to carry it long after the movie wrapped.
Months after marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, Kelly was spotted carrying a brown pigskin Sac to shield her pregnancy from the paparazzi. And while the oft-repeated claim that Kelly and her bag appeared on a Life magazine cover isn’t true, photography of the actress and her cherished accessory began to appear everywhere at the time, and the bag’s profile suddenly skyrocketed.
In 1977 Hermès officially changed the item’s name to the Kelly bag. Less than a decade later, Hermès introduced another top-handled bag to its line, also named after a style symbol, the Birkin bag.
The Paris-based British actress Jane Birkin sat next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas — Robert's son — on an Air France flight. He noticed her overflowing handbag, and she told him she longed for “a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge’s suitcase,” in reference to her then-romantic partner, the French musician Serge Gainsbourg. The Birkin bag was created in 1984, joining the Kelly in Hermès’ permanent collection.
Hermes Kelly Bag
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary American Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary European Wallets and Small Accessories
1990s French Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary American Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary European Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
2010s French Structured Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
2010s French Structured Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
2010s Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
1970s French Shoulder Bags
1970s French Shoulder Bags
1990s French Shoulder Bags
2010s French Top Handle Bags
Read More
The Hermès Kelly Is the Current Bag of Choice for Victoria Beckham and Timothée Chalamet
These celebrities prove that the famous design works with both sleek dresses and streetwear.
The Birkin Bags on ‘Running Point’ Have An Unusual Provenance
Who would have guessed the handbags belonged to one of the show's producers?
The Hermès Teddy Kelly Might Be Winter’s Most Covetable Bag
This suede-and-shearling version of the famous design debuted 20 years ago, during Jean-Paul Gaultier's tenure as creative director.
This Iconic Hermès Bag Is Made from an Unexpected Material: Wood
From a house that specializes in covetable objects, this version of the Kelly is the rarest of finds.
A Short History of the World’s Most Iconic Designs
Of the million-plus items on 1stdibs, some seem to have transcended time, looking as fresh today as when they were first produced. The pieces highlighted on our new Iconic Designs page stand out for longevity, functionality and quality of design and manufacture — just the tonic for the present unsettled moment.
How to Spot a Real Hermès Kelly Bag
A symbol of luxury and elegance, the design has a storied past and a legion of devoted collectors.