Hermès Bag Types: Every Style and Name Explained hermes kelly 42 bag

Author : Corcoran Gammelgaard | Published On : 18 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

Hermès caps the number of its two flagship bags a client may buy per year. These are what collectors call the quota bags. You cannot just walk in and order one. Boutiques reserve them for established clients, so secondary-market prices for both run well past 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.

Retail Hermès Birkin bag prices begin near $11,000–$12,000 for a Togo leather 25 and rise sharply for 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. It comes in two constructions: Sellier (rigid, sharp edges) and Retourne (softer, relaxed). 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. 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 the dressy, fully-closing option; the Birkin is the casual, roomy, easy-access one.

Non-Quota Icons You Can Actually Order

You may still wait at busy boutiques, but no annual limit applies to these styles. For plenty of buyers, this is where the smart money lands.

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 roughly green hermes bag latest –$4,000, it is one of the most attainable everyday Hermès bags.

Hermès Lindy Bag

A slouchy double-zip design, the Lindy works both handheld and over the shoulder. That easygoing shape makes it a travel favorite. 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 a starting price around $3,000, it regularly comes up as the cheapest leather Hermès bag.

Hermès Garden Party Bag

This is the practical canvas-and-leather tote for everyday errands. The Garden Party is the workhorse of the range and one of the easiest styles to find in a boutique. Expect to pay more for all-leather editions; the canvas blend keeps the entry price accessible.

More Hermès Bag Names You Should Know

There is real depth to the catalog. These styles come up constantly in boutiques and on 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 — an unstructured, soft tote suited to travel and everyday carry.
Della Cavalleria — Hermès's saddle bag shape, finished with a clasp borrowed 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 — adaptable shoulder and crossbody designs that switch between carry modes.

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 — about $3,000–$4,500
Daily leather: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — roughly $3,500–$9,000
Structured icons: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — around $8,500–$13,000+ at retail
Exotics and rarities: crocodile, ostrich, and limited runs — from $30,000 into six figures

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

How to Actually Get a Hermès Bag

Larger boutiques often carry walk-in stock of the Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and similar styles. For a Birkin or Kelly, the realistic paths are building a purchase history with a sales associate, or buying pre-owned from a reputable reseller.

Going pre-owned? Authentication is everything. Learn how to tell if a Hermès bag is real before you spend anything: check the heat stamp, the stitching (hand-sewn saddle stitch, slightly angled), the hardware engravings, and the craftsman blind stamp. A fake Hermès bag typically reveals itself through machine-perfect stitching and flimsy hardware. When in doubt, use a professional authentication service — the price of the check is trivial next to the price of the bag.

There is a separate reward in vintage Hermès bags. Older Kellys and Bolides often cost less than new non-quota styles and carry patina no new bag can fake.

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. 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 and Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.