Hermes Kelly bag
One of the most sought-after purses of recent decades has to be the Hermes Kelly bag, a timeless handbag design, right up there with its sister, the Hermes Birkin bag. The Hermes Kelly bag, however, has enjoyed a longer life than its sibling, when it was thrust into the limelight in 1956.
Women the world over love the classic lines of a Hermes Kelly bag. The Hermes Kelly bag is one of the greatest bags of our time.
The origins of the Hermes Kelly bag first appeared, in its original form in the 1930’s but it wasn’t until 1956 that it truly became a star. With its smart tailored-shape it evolved into a ‘50s favourite during the Hollywood glamour years, and has enjoyed an iconic status ever since.
Why the name Hermes Kelly Bag
The Hermes Kelly bag is so named after the actress Grace Kelly, when in 1956, the then Princess of Monaco used one of her two favourite Hermes bags to shield her pregnant stomach from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. Photographs of Grace Kelly covering her stomach bulge with her hallowed Hermes were splashed all over the world and made it onto the cover of Life magazine with the Hermes Kelly bag.
The Hermes Kelly bag and the Hermes Birkin bag is one of several bags which are world famous.
A Hermes Kelly bag comes in many different sizes and is usually made from crocodile, alligator, and ostrich-skin or plain leather. According to Miller’s guide, they are identifiable by their distinctive metal-tipped clasp, which can be closed with a tiny padlock. Swathed in leather, the clasp’s hidden key often dangles from the handle.
A Hermes Kelly bags come in sizes 20, 25, 28, 32, and 35 cm. The most popular sizes for a Hermes Kelly bag are 28 and 32. The Hermes Kelly bag is either going to be rigid (outside stitching and more expensive) or supple (softer feel, inside stitching) Hermes Kelly bag also comes with a shoulder strap.
In 1968, Hermes group produced a Mini Hermes Kelly bag. Because of its smaller size, it reveals quite different elegant feelings with Hermes Birkin bag.
How a Hermes Kelly Bag is made In Anna Johnson’s Handbags, The Power of the Purse, Johnson points out that a 1956 Hermes Alligator Bag took 2 alligators to make a Hermes Kelly bag, with the exotic skin culled from the reptiles’ jowls and the belly.
Johnson details the finer points of the making of a Hermes Kelly bag the fact that it takes a single craftsman around 18 hours to produce one of these beauties.
Once the hand-cut skins (selected by personal customer order) have arrived, they are laid out; resembling a mini-dress and the lining of the Hermes Kelly bag is hand-sewn in. The base of the Hermes Kelly bag is then created, using waxed linen thread and a tough double-saddle stitch, where perforations are painstakingly made into the leather. The following step is the creation of the handle of the Hermes Kelly bag and then the front flap is stitched and added to the body of the Hermes Kelly bag. The clasp and the four feet at the base of the Hermes Kelly bag are then fitted and the famous padlock added.
The inside of a Hermes Kelly bag is as beautifully and as painstakingly made as the outside, an honoured tenet of Hermes, according to Pedersen. The Hermes Kelly bag seams are smoothed, dyed and waxed.
The penultimate finishing touch involves the Hermes Kelly bag being ironed, to get the wrinkles out the skin. The very last touch to the Hermes Kelly bag is the famous Hermes Paris logo, and another Hermes Kelly bag is made.
Famous Hermes Kelly bag Clients
Although other Hollywood stars carried this iconic Hermes Kelly bag, (such as Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich) none had the same impact as Grace Kelly. The Hermes Kelly bag now enjoys a cult status and was featured in recent TV and Hollywood movies such as Sex and the City and Le Divorce.
Nowadays, according to Miller’s Handbags — a Collector’s Guide, vintage examples of the Hermes Kelly bag change hands for large amounts of money. An early 1960s crocodile Hermes Kelly bag, for example, would be expected to fetch anything from $3,000 – $6,000 at a top auction house.
The styles between Hermes Birkin bag and Hermes Kelly bag
At first glance the Hermes Birkin bag and the Hermes Kelly bag styles appear to be quite similar. The Hermes Birkin bag and the Hermes Kelly bag are both top handle styles that you typically carry by hand and are roughly rectangular in shape. They function in a similar way to an envelope which is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. A flap comes over the front, where the Hermes Birkin bag and the Hermes Kelly bag fasten with a lock.
The colors of Hermes Birkin bag are usually brighter than a Hermes Kelly bag. Another difference between a Hermes Birkin bag and Hermes Kelly bag is a Hermes Birkin bag has double handles, but Hermes Kelly bag has only one handle.
Hermes Kelly bag is not only a handbag with only one handle, but also a shoulder bag. But a Hermes Birkin bag can only be a handbag. This is also one of the differences between a Hermes Birkin bag and a Hermes Kelly bag.
For stitching, Hermes Birkin bags are only with inseam, but a Hermes Kelly bag is not only with inseam, but also without seam. Inseam makes the Hermes Kelly bag look flexible, and out seam makes the Hermes Birkin bag look stiff and smooth.
The Hermes Birkin bag is named after famous actress Jane Birkin. She happened to travel on one airplane with Hermes president Jean Louis Dumas and complained that the Hermes Kelly bag she owned was not comfortable for daily use after that she co designed the new Hermes Birkin bag with Hermes. Price of Hermes Birkin bag starts from six thousand dollars up to whatever a true Hermes Birkin bag admirer is willing to pay. Waiting time for a Hermes Birkin bag can be more than 3 years, although depending on availability of the Hermes Birkin bag in the store one could simply go into a shop and buy the desired Hermes Birkin bag. A Hermes Birkin bag is very popular among celebrities and Hermes Birkin bag has become even more popular after featuring on the Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls. Now famous Hermes Birkin bag is available in smaller version designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.
Hermes Kelly bag
Three of my favourite Hermes Kelly bags-
Hermès 35cm Leather Kelly Rose
The bag measures 35cm/ 14″ long, 25 cm/ 10″ high and 14 cm or 5.5″ deep. The handles are 10cm or 5″ high.
The Perfect size for a handbag!
Hermès Paris is embossed in silver on the inside of the Hermes Kelly bag, including 4 silver feet on the bottom of the bag.
This Hermes Kelly bag comes with lock, keys, couchette, and a sleeper for the bag, box, and ribbon.
Hermès 35cm Leather Hermes Kelly bag Gold
A very beautiful bag 35cm Hermès Kelly bag Gold Togo Leather | Gold Hardware | O Stamp
The Hermes Kelly bag measures 35 cm/ 14″ long, 25 cm/ 10″ high and 14 cm or 5.5″ deep. Letter and number embossed on the strap. Hermès-Paris is embossed in Gold, including 4 Gold feet on the bottom.
This Hermes Kelly bag comes with lock, keys, clochette, shoulder strap, sleeper bag and box.
Hermès 40cm Leather Hermes Kelly bag Blue Jean
So smart 40cm Hermès Leather Hermes Kelly bag Blue Jean Clemence | Palladium Hardware | M Stamp
The Hermes Kelly bag measures 40cm/16″ x 28cm/11″ x 15cm/6″. 10.2cm/4″ handle.
Letter M and number embossed on the strap. The palladium hardware is still wrapped in plastic. Hermès-Paris is stamped in palladium on the inside of the Hermes Kelly bag, including 4 palladium feet on the bottom. This Hermes Kelly bag comes with lock, keys, clochette, and a sleeper for the bag, box and rib.