Hermès Bag Types: Every Style and Name Explained kim kardashian hand painted hermes bag

Author : Mathiassen Hollis | Published On : 19 Sep 2026

Every Hermès bag has a story, a waitlist, or both. The house makes far more than the two icons everyone knows. 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.

Quota Bags Explained: Birkin and Kelly

Each year, Hermès restricts how many of its two flagship bags any client can purchase. Among collectors, these are known as the quota bags. Ordering one outright is not possible. Boutiques offer them to established clients, which is why the resale market for both runs well above retail.

hermes bag 28a is the most famous handbag in the world. 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. 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. 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.

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 in one line: 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. For many buyers, this is where the smart money goes.

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. It has a perforated "H" on the front, an open top with a tab closure, and a wide canvas strap. Its original job was hauling equestrian grooming kit, which is why the holes are there. At roughly $3,500–$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. 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. It skips lining and hardware complications in favor of a simple lock-through closure. When people search for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one they mean. Starting near $3,000, it is often cited as the cheapest Hermès bag in leather.

Hermès Garden Party Bag

A practical tote in canvas and leather, made for daily errands. The Garden Party serves as the range's workhorse and is one of the simplest styles to locate in a boutique. The all-leather versions cost more; the canvas mix keeps the entry price lower.

More Hermès Bag Names You Should Know

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 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 — 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 — flexible shoulder and crossbody styles built to convert between carries.

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

How Much Is a Hermès Bag?

Short answer: from about $3,000 to well past $100,000. A realistic ladder looks like this:

Entry point (canvas and small leather): Herbag, Garden Party canvas, Picotin — around $3,000–$4,500
Everyday leather: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — about $3,500–$9,000
Structured icon tier: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — around $8,500–$13,000+ at retail
Exotics and rare pieces: crocodile, ostrich, and limited pieces — $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. 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 typically reveals itself through machine-perfect stitching and flimsy hardware. If in doubt, pay for professional authentication — the fee is nothing compared with the bag's price.

Vintage Hermès bags reward buyers in their own way. 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.

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