Every Hermès Bag Type and Name, Explained jane birkin hermes bag history

Author : Duffy Dalton | Published On : 18 Sep 2026

Every Hermès bag has a story, a waitlist, or both. Hermès offers much more than the two bags everyone recognizes. Below we break down the different Hermès bag names, the purpose of each style, rough pricing, and which ones are actually available to walk-in buyers.

If you already know the model you want, jump to it below. If you are starting from zero, read in order — the styles are grouped by how hard they are to get.

Birkin and Kelly: The Quota Bags

Hermès limits how many of its two flagship bags a client can buy each year. Collectors call these the quota bags. You cannot simply order one. Boutiques offer them to established clients, which is why the resale market for both runs well above retail.

Hermès Birkin Bag

The Birkin is arguably the most famous handbag on earth. The design is a structured top-handle tote: two straps, a turn-lock closure, no shoulder strap. The most common sizes are the 25, 30, and 35.

Expect Hermès Birkin bag prices to open around $11,000–$12,000 retail for a Togo 25, climbing fast once exotic skins enter the picture. On resale platforms, sought-after sizes and colors fetch $20,000 or more. Diamond-encrusted crocodile Birkins hold the record as the most expensive Hermès bags, with auction prices in the hundreds of thousands.

Hermès Kelly Bag

Older and more refined, the Hermès Kelly bag pairs a single top handle with a sculpted flap and a removable shoulder strap. You can choose between two builds — the rigid Sellier and the softer Retourne. Grace Kelly made it famous in 1956, and the house renamed the bag after her.

Kelly prices sit close to Birkin territory: roughly $10,000–$11,500 retail depending on size and leather. Right now the mini Kelly bag (Kelly 20) is the hardest Hermès bag to source, and resale prices frequently double retail.

Kelly vs Birkin, summed up: the Kelly is the dressy, fully-closing option; the Birkin is the casual, roomy, easy-access one.

Icons You Can Actually Order (No Quota)

These styles still require patience at busy boutiques, but there is no annual limit. Many buyers consider this the smartest place to spend.

Hermès Constance Bag

A structured shoulder bag built around the bold "H" clasp, and the nearest thing to a logo bag Hermès makes. The Constance moves from day to evening easily and keeps its value almost on par with the quota bags. Pricing opens near $8,500 retail for the Constance 18.

Hermès Evelyne Bag

The Evelyne is the maison's laid-back crossbody bag. It has a perforated "H" on the front, an open top with a tab closure, and a wide canvas strap. Originally built to carry horse-grooming gear — hence the ventilation holes. Priced near $3,500–$4,000, it is one of the easiest everyday Hermès bags to actually own.

Hermès Lindy Bag

The Lindy is a slouchy, double-zip bag you can carry by hand or over the shoulder. The soft silhouette has made it a go-to for travel. In recent years the Mini Lindy has turned into the line's trend piece.

Hermès Picotin Bag

The Picotin is a small open bucket bag inspired by a horse's feed bag. No lining, no hardware fuss — just a lock-through closure. When people search for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one they mean. With hermes orange box birkin bag starting price around $3,000, it regularly comes up as the cheapest leather Hermès bag.

Hermès Garden Party Bag

A practical tote in canvas and leather, made for daily errands. As the workhorse of the range, the Garden Party is also among the easiest styles to find in store. All-leather versions carry higher prices, while the canvas mix keeps entry costs down.

More Hermès Bag Names You Should Know

There is real depth to the catalog. You will see these styles constantly in boutiques and on resale platforms:

Bolide — a rounded zip-top bag with a claim to being among the first zippered handbags ever made.
Roulis — a compact shoulder bag with a distinctive metal clasp; a quieter alternative to the Constance.
Herbag — canvas body with a leather Kelly-style flap; interchangeable bags on one frame.
Geta — a petite curved crossbody in Swift leather that debuted in 2022 and remains in demand.
Victoria — a soft, unstructured tote for travel and daily use.
Della Cavalleria — the house's saddle bag silhouette, with a clasp drawn from equestrian hardware.
In-the-Loop — a modern bucket-shaped style, popular in the 18 size on the pre-owned market.
24/24, Halzan, Jypsière, Kelly Danse — versatile shoulder and crossbody styles that convert between carries.

The Hermès men's bag range is led by the Haut à Courroies — the Birkin's ancestor — alongside the Steve messenger bag and the Cityback line.

How reddit Does a Hermès Bag Cost?

The short answer: anywhere from roughly $3,000 to well over $100,000. A realistic ladder looks like this:

Entry level (canvas and small leather): Herbag, Garden Party canvas, Picotin — about $3,000–$4,500
Everyday leather styles: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — around $3,500–$9,000
The structured icons: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — roughly $8,500–$13,000+ retail
Exotics and rarities: crocodile, ostrich, and limited editions — $30,000 up to six figures

Expect price increases most years; on the secondary market, quota bags usually trade at 1.5–2x retail.

How to Actually Get a Hermès Bag

Walk-in stock exists for Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and similar styles, especially at larger boutiques. To land a Birkin or Kelly, your realistic options are building purchase history with a sales associate or going pre-owned through a reputable reseller.

On the pre-owned route, authentication is non-negotiable. Before spending a cent, learn how to tell if a Hermès bag is real — inspect the heat stamp, the slightly angled hand-sewn saddle stitching, the hardware engravings, and the craftsman blind stamp. A fake Hermès bag is usually betrayed by machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware. Unsure? A professional authentication service costs a fraction of what the bag does.

Vintage Hermès bags reward buyers in their own way. Older Kellys and Bolides often cost less than new non-quota styles and carry patina no new bag can fake.

Which Hermès Bag Makes the Best First Buy?

If you want one answer: the Evelyne for casual daily use, the Constance if you dress up more often, and the Picotin if you want the lowest-cost entry into Hermès leather. Save the Birkin or Kelly for when you know the house — or choose authenticated pre-owned and bypass the waitlist completely.

Keep reading: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.