Hermès Bag Types: Every Style and Name Explained east west hermes bag

Author : Hurst Shoemaker | Published On : 13 Sep 2026

Behind every Hermès bag there is 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

Each year, Hermès restricts how many of its two flagship bags any client can purchase. These are what collectors call 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. It is a structured top-handle tote with two straps, a turn-lock closure, and no shoulder strap. You will most often see it in the 25, 30, and 35 sizes.

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. Pre-owned, popular sizes and colors command $20,000 and up. The most expensive Hermès bags on record are diamond-set crocodile Birkins, which have hit six figures at auction.

Hermès Kelly Bag

The Hermès Kelly bag is the elder, dressier sibling: one top handle, a sculpted flap, and a removable shoulder strap. You can choose between two builds — the rigid Sellier and the softer Retourne. In 1956 Grace Kelly made it famous, and Hermès later renamed the bag in her honor.

Retail prices track just under the Birkin, roughly $10,000–$11,500 based on size and leather. The mini Kelly bag — the Kelly 20 — is presently the toughest to obtain, with resale often at twice retail.

Kelly vs Birkin, summed up: the Kelly is more formal and fully closes with its flap, while the Birkin is casual, roomier, and quicker to access.

Non-Quota Styles You Can Realistically Buy

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. It transitions from day to night and retains value nearly 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. The design includes a perforated "H" on the front, an open top secured by a tab, and a wide canvas strap. It was designed for grooming equestrian gear, which explains the ventilation holes. At around $3,500–$4,000, it ranks among 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, the Mini Lindy 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. It skips lining and hardware complications in favor of a simple lock-through closure. If you have searched for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one people mean. With a starting price around $3,000, it regularly comes up as the cheapest leather Hermès bag.

Hermès Garden Party Bag

A practical canvas-and-leather tote for daily errands. The Garden Party is the workhorse of the range and one of the easiest styles to find in a boutique. All-leather versions carry higher prices, while the canvas mix keeps entry costs down.

More Hermès Bag Names Worth Knowing

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, one of the first handbags ever made with a zipper.
Roulis — a compact shoulder bag with a signature metal clasp — a subtler take on the Constance.
Herbag — canvas body with a leather Kelly-style flap; interchangeable bags on one frame.
Geta — a small curved crossbody in Swift leather, launched in 2022 and still 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 silhouette whose 18 size does brisk business 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 Much Is a Hermès Bag?

reddit : from about $3,000 to well past $100,000. A realistic pricing ladder runs like this:

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

Retail prices climb most years, and quota bags typically resell at 1.5–2x retail.

How to Actually Get a Hermès Bag

You can find the Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and comparable styles as walk-in stock, particularly at bigger 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.

If you go pre-owned, authentication is everything. 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. A fake Hermès bag is usually betrayed by machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware. If in doubt, pay for professional authentication — the fee is nothing compared with the bag's price.

Vintage Hermès bags are their own reward. Older Kellys and Bolides frequently cost less than new non-quota styles, with patina no new bag can imitate.

Which Hermès Bag Should You Buy First?

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. Chase the Birkin or Kelly once you know the house — or buy authenticated pre-owned and skip the waitlist entirely.

More on this topic: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.