Hermès Kelly 35 Epsom Leather Vert Bengale Top Handle Bag
View Similar Items
Hermès Kelly 35 Epsom Leather Vert Bengale Top Handle Bag
About the Item
Kelly Bag
In 1837, Thierry Hermès (1801–78) founded his eponymous luxury goods company in Paris as a saddle manufacturer, serving the era’s carriage trade. In 1880, under the stewardship of Thierry's son Émile-Charles, fine riding gear was added to its offerings to complement the saddles. The company expanded their workshops to design handbags nearly half a century later. The Kelly bag, originally introduced as the Sac à dépêches (“the dispatch bag”) in 1935, was created by Robert Dumas, son-in-law to Thierry's grandson Émile-Maurice Hermès.
Designed for independent women who wanted a piece that was both luxurious and efficient, the Kelly bag has a trapezoid shape, two triangular gussets, a sculpted flap and handle. To this day, the understated bag comprises 36 individual leather pieces, 16 studs and a signature padlock and leather key cover, with three layers of leather at the base to ensure the bag can stand upright. Each Kelly bag takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches owe solely to one Hermès artisan.
The Kelly bag earned its name during preproduction on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film, To Catch a Thief. Costume designer Edith Head sourced products from Hermès to outfit actress Grace Kelly, who fell in love with the Sac à Dépêches and continued to carry it long after the movie wrapped. Months after marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, she was spotted carrying a brown pigskin Sac to shield her pregnancy from the paparazzi. And while the oft-repeated claim that Kelly and her bag appeared on a Life magazine cover isn’t true, photography of the actress and her cherished accessory began to appear everywhere at the time, and the bag’s profile suddenly skyrocketed.
In 1977 Hermès officially changed the item’s name to the Kelly bag. Less than a decade later, Hermès introduced another handbag to its line, also named after a style symbol, the Birkin bag. The Paris-based British actress Jane Birkin sat next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas — Robert's son — on an Air France flight. He noticed her overflowing handbag, and she told him she longed for “a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge’s suitcase,” in reference to her then-romantic partner, the French musician Serge Gainsbourg. The Birkin bag was created in 1984, joining the Kelly in Hermès’ permanent collection.
Hermès
For Hermès, what began as a maker of leather equestrian goods for European noblemen would eventually grow into one of the most storied fashion labels in the world. In 1837, German-born French entrepreneur Thierry Hermès opened a saddle and harness purveyor in Paris. Gradually, the house extended into accessories and luggage for its riders, and today, in paying homage to its origins, the family-run luxury brand resurfaces horse motifs in everything from clothing and modernist jewelry to pillows and handbags.
The first top-handled bag ever produced by Hermès was the Haut à courroies, which made its debut in 1892. A tall bag secured with a folded leather flap (fastened with bridle-inspired straps), it was designed to transport riding boots and a harness. As the world made the switch from horse to automobile, the bag adapted, becoming a multifunctional travel satchel instead of a designated saddlebag. Today, 120 years later, the HAC remains in Hermès’s line — and its distinctive flap and clasping straps have laid the groundwork for some of the house’s other iconic bags.
In the 1930s, Robert Dumas (son-in-law to Émile-Maurice Hermès, Thierry’s grandson) designed a smaller, trapezoidal take on the flap bag with a handle and two side straps. Later, actress Grace Kelly, then engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco, is said to have used one of these bags to conceal her pregnancy during the 1950s. Because she was photographed constantly, the coverage catapulted her handbag to international popularity. In 1977, Hermès officially renamed the model for her, and the Kelly bag was born. Each Kelly bag takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches owe solely to one Hermès artisan.
Robert Dumas was also responsible for another one of the brand’s most iconic offerings: the launch of its first silk scarf on the occasion of Hermès’s 100th anniversary in 1937. Based on a woodblock designed by Dumas and printed on Chinese silk, the accessory was an immediate hit.
Today, vintage Hermès scarves, typically adorned in rich colors and elaborate patterns, serve many functions, just as they did back then. Well-heeled women wear it on their heads, around their necks and, in a genius piece of cross-promotion, tied to the straps of their Hermès bags. Kelly even once used one as a sling for her broken arm.
In 1981, Robert Dumas’s son Jean-Louis Dumas, then Hermès chairman, found himself sitting next to French actress and musician Jane Birkin on a plane, where she was complaining about finding a suitable carryall for the necessary accoutrements of motherhood. After the two travelers were properly introduced, Birkin helped design Jean-Louis’s most famous contribution to the Hermès canon: the Birkin bag, a roomy, square catchall with the HAC’s trademark leather flap top and the addition of a lock and key. Owing to the brand’s legendary commitment to deft, handcrafted construction, the Birkin is an investment that is coveted by collectors everywhere.
While the Kelly and Birkin may be standouts, gracing the arms of everyone from royal heiresses to hip-hop stars in the past few decades, the handbags are but a small part of Hermès’s fashion offerings. Since the 1920s, the brand has produced some of the most desirable leather goods in the world. There’s the Constance bag, a favorite of Jacqueline Kennedy, the recently relaunched 1970s-era Evelyne and, on the vintage market, a slew of designs dating back to the 1920s.
Good design never goes out of style. Find a variety of vintage Hermès handbags, day dresses, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
- 1990s Chanel Shoulder Bag Vintage CanvasBy ChanelLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITChanel signed bag, vintage model, made of black quilted canvas with golden hardware. Equipped with a flap with twist lock with CC logo, internally covered in black leather, quite lar...Category
1990s Structured Shoulder Bags
- 1990s Chanel Mini Flap Beige Leather Shoulder BagBy ChanelLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITChanel shoulder bag, vintage Mini Flap model, made in beige leather with gold hardware. Equipped with a flap with twist lock closure with CC logo, internally lined in beige leather, ...Category
1990s Structured Shoulder Bags
- 2008 Chanel Reissue Maxi Jumbo Blue Top Shoulder BagBy ChanelLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITChanel signed bag, Reissue Double Flap model, large size, made of midnight blue quilted leather with silver hardware. Equipped with a double front flap, an external one with a twist ...Category
Early 2000s Structured Shoulder Bags
- Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Judy PM Limited Edition Shoulder BagBy Louis VuittonLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITLouis Vuitton bag, Judy model, size PM, limited edition in collaboration with Takashi Murakami. Made of multicolor canvas with a white background, with inserts in cowhide and golden ...Category
2010s Structured Shoulder Bags
- 2012 Hermès Kelly 35 Ghillies Evercalf Rose Texas/Rouge HBy HermèsLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITBag by Hermès, Kelly Ghillies model, size 35, made of evercalf leather, smooth and soft to the touch, in the two-tone Rose Texas and Rouge H colourway. Equipped with a flap with inte...Category
2010s Top Handle Bags
- Louis Vuitton Lockme Bicor Black WhiteBy Louis VuittonLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITLouis Vuitton signed bag, Lockme model, made of black and white two -tone leather with silver hardware. Equipped with a header with interlocking, internamnete covered in black suede,...Category
2010s Top Handle Bags
- Fendi green Emerald croco leather Peekaboo shoulder bag / handle bagBy FendiLocated in Capri, ITFendi green Emerald croco leather Peekaboo Gold tone hardware. Croco Emerald green shoulder strap Cites inside Measurements: 33*24*13 cmCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Mini Kelly 20 Sellier Jaune Bourgeon Bag Chevre Leather Palladium HardwarBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Kelly 20 Mini Sellier bag featured in Jaune Bourgeon. Gorgeous muted lime. Chevre leather accentuated with Gold hardware. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
- Hermes 35 Apple Green Kelly Swift LeatherBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYHermes 1998 Kelly Apple green colour (vert cru). 35 swift leather This stunning pre-owned 1998, (letter B) is timeless piece, This colour is very hard to find. Has been expertly crafted from swift leather. This Kelly bag takes about 24 hours to produce, all hand stitches by only one Hermès artisan, That’s the reason why is the most wanted woman’s bag...Category
1990s French Top Handle Bags
- HERMES Tiny Birkin 15 Retourne Lime Green Epsom Leather Mini Shoulder BagBy HermèsLocated in Chicago, ILPre-Owned Vintage Condition From 2010 Collection Veau Greine Courchevel Veau Epsom Leather 6” W x 3.5” H x 1.25” D Handle Drop. 1.25” Strap Drop 13.75” Includes Shoulder Strap 100% A...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
$47,940 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - 1980s Braccialini Deadstock Vintage Green Leather handbag w Dust Bag & TagLocated in Portland, ORThis is a gorgeous, supple green leather vintage Braccialini handbag with black patent leather on the double handles and fold over clasp. ...Category
1980s Italian Top Handle Bags
- HERMÈS Bolide 1995 Tan Leather Bag GHW VintageBy HermèsLocated in London, GBHERMÈS Bolide 1995 Tan Leather Bag GHW Vintage A timeless classic vintage 1995 Hermès Bolide bag in cavalerie tan-gold colour in Courchevel leather wit...Category
1990s French Shoulder Bags
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Iconic Hermès Bag Is Made from an Unexpected Material: Wood
From a house that specializes in covetable objects, this version of the Kelly is the rarest of finds.
A Short History of the World’s Most Iconic Designs
Of the million-plus items on 1stdibs, some seem to have transcended time, looking as fresh today as when they were first produced. The pieces highlighted on our new Iconic Designs page stand out for longevity, functionality and quality of design and manufacture — just the tonic for the present unsettled moment.