Hermès Bag Styles: The Complete Guide to Every Name hermes bag price increase 2020

Author : Goodman Friis | Published On : 17 Sep 2026

Every Hermès bag has a story, a waitlist, or both. Hermès offers much more than the two bags everyone recognizes. In this guide you will find the different Hermès bag names, what each style does best, approximate prices, and which models you can realistically buy in store.

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.

The Quota Bags: Birkin and Kelly

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 reserve them for established clients, so secondary-market prices for both run well past retail.

Hermès Birkin Bag

No handbag in the world is more famous than the Birkin. It is a structured tote with two top handles, a turn-lock closure, and no shoulder strap. Common sizes are the Birkin 25, 30, and 35.

Hermès Birkin bag prices start around $11,000–$12,000 retail for a Togo leather 25, and climb steeply with exotic skins. Pre-owned, popular sizes and colors command $20,000 and up. 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. Two constructions exist: Sellier, which is rigid with sharp edges, and Retourne, which is softer and relaxed. The bag shot to fame with Grace Kelly in 1956, and the house eventually named it after her.

Kelly prices sit close to Birkin territory: roughly $10,000–$11,500 retail depending on size and leather. The mini Kelly bag (the Kelly 20) is currently the hardest of all to get, and resale prices often double retail.

Kelly vs Birkin in one line: the Kelly is dressier and closes fully with its flap; the Birkin is more casual, roomier, and faster to get in and out of.

Non-Quota Styles You Can Realistically Buy

These styles still require patience at busy boutiques, but there is no annual limit. For many buyers, this is where the smart money goes.

Hermès Constance Bag

A structured shoulder bag with the big "H" clasp — the closest thing Hermès has to a logo bag. The Constance works day to night and holds its value almost as well as the quota bags. The Constance 18 starts at roughly $8,500 retail.

Hermès Evelyne Bag

The Evelyne is the house's casual crossbody bag. It features a perforated "H" front, a tab-closure open top, and a wide canvas strap. Originally built to carry horse-grooming gear — hence the ventilation holes. At roughly $3,500–$4,000, it is one of the most attainable everyday Hermès bags.

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. Lately, reddit has emerged as the trend piece of the family.

Hermès Picotin Bag

Inspired by a horse's feed bag, the Picotin is a small open bucket style. 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 a 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. Expect to pay more for all-leather editions; the canvas blend keeps the entry price accessible.

More Hermès Bag Names Worth Knowing

There is real depth to the catalog. These names surface again and again in boutiques and across the resale market:

Bolide — a rounded zip-top design and one of the first zippered handbags in history.
Roulis — a compact shoulder bag with a distinctive metal clasp; a quieter alternative to the Constance.
Herbag — a canvas body under a leather Kelly-style flap, with interchangeable bags on a single frame.
Geta — a small curved Swift-leather crossbody introduced in 2022 and still hard to find.
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 contemporary bucket shape, especially popular pre-owned in the 18 size.
24/24, Halzan, Jypsière, Kelly Danse — flexible shoulder and crossbody styles built to convert between carries.

On the men's side, the Haut à Courroies (the Birkin's ancestor), the Steve messenger bag, and the Cityback line anchor the Hermès men's bag range.

How Much Is a Hermès Bag?

In short: from around $3,000 to far beyond $100,000. Here is a realistic price ladder:

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

Prices rise most years, and secondary-market prices for quota bags typically sit 1.5–2x retail.

Getting a Hermès Bag: What Actually Works

You can find the Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and comparable styles as walk-in stock, particularly at bigger boutiques. A Birkin or Kelly realistically comes one of two ways: a purchase history built with a sales associate, or a reputable pre-owned reseller.

On the pre-owned route, authentication is non-negotiable. Know how to tell if a Hermès bag is real before parting with money: examine the heat stamp, the hand-sewn saddle stitch (slightly angled), the hardware engravings, and the blind stamp. Machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware usually give a fake Hermès bag away. When in doubt, use a professional authentication service — the price of the check is trivial next to the price of the bag.

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.

What Should Your First Hermès Bag Be?

One answer, three lifestyles: Evelyne for casual daily wear, Constance for dressing up, Picotin for the lowest-cost entry into Hermès leather. Pursue the Birkin or Kelly after you know the house, or go authenticated pre-owned and skip the waitlist altogether.

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