Hermès Bag Types: Every Style and Name Explained hermes kelly bag close up craftsmanship
Author : Sahl Roach | Published On : 19 Sep 2026
Behind every Hermès bag there is 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. New to the brand? Read top to bottom — the styles are ordered by how difficult they are to obtain.
Birkin and Kelly: The Quota Bags
Hermès caps the number of its two flagship bags a client may buy per year. Collectors call these the quota bags. You cannot simply order one. They are offered to established clients only, which is why resale prices for both sit far above 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. On resale platforms, sought-after sizes and colors fetch $20,000 or more. 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 older, more elegant sibling — a single top handle, 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. 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.
Icons You Can Actually Order (No Quota)
Busy boutiques may test your patience, but these styles carry no yearly cap. For plenty of buyers, this is where the smart money lands.
Hermès Constance Bag
A structured shoulder bag with the big "H" clasp — the closest thing Hermès has to a logo bag. It transitions from day to night and retains value nearly as well as the quota bags. Retail starts around $8,500 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. 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. That easygoing shape makes it a travel favorite. In recent years the Mini Lindy has turned into the line's trend piece.
Inspired by a horse's feed bag, the Picotin is a small open bucket style. There is no lining and no hardware fuss, only a lock-through closure. If you have searched for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one people mean. Starting near $3,000, it is often cited as the cheapest Hermès bag in leather.
Hermès Garden Party Bag
A practical canvas-and-leather tote 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
The catalog goes deeper than most realize. These styles come up constantly in boutiques and on the resale market:
Bolide — a rounded zip-top bag, one of the first handbags ever made with a zipper.
Roulis — a compact shoulder style with a distinctive clasp, for those who find the Constance too loud.
Herbag — canvas construction topped with a Kelly-style leather flap; the bags swap on one frame.
Geta — a small curved Swift-leather crossbody introduced in 2022 and still hard to find.
Victoria — a soft, unstructured travel and everyday tote.
Della Cavalleria — Hermès's saddle bag shape, finished with a clasp borrowed 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 — flexible shoulder and crossbody styles built to 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.
Hermès Bag Prices: How Much Is a Hermès Bag?
In short: from around $3,000 to far beyond $100,000. A realistic ladder looks like this:
Entry level (canvas and small leather): Herbag, Garden Party canvas, Picotin — around $3,000–$4,500
Daily leather: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — roughly $3,500–$9,000
Structured icons: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — about $8,500–$13,000 and up retail
Exotics and rare pieces: 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
Larger boutiques often carry walk-in stock of the Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and similar styles. 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.
Going 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 typically reveals itself through machine-perfect stitching and flimsy hardware. Unsure? A professional authentication service costs a fraction of what the bag does.
There is a separate reward in vintage Hermès bags. 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?
One answer, three lifestyles: Evelyne for casual daily wear, Constance for dressing up, Picotin for 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.
Related reading: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.
