Hermes NEW Black Leather Palladium Kelly Evening Top Handle Clutch Bag in Box
View Similar Items
Hermes NEW Black Leather Palladium Kelly Evening Top Handle Clutch Bag in Box
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Design:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU359210953202
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.
- HERMÈS NEW Birkin 30 Black Ostrich Exotic Rose Gold Top Handle Tote BagBy HermèsLocated in Chicago, ILNew Condition From 2021 Collection Ostrich Rose Gold Plated Hardware Leather Interior Zipper and Patch Pockets Measures 11.5" W x 9.5" H x 6" D Shoulder Strap Drop 5" Includes Padloc...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Tote Bags
$79,940 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - CHANEL Black Lambskin Quilted Leather Gold Silver Top Handle Carryall Travel BagBy ChanelLocated in Chicago, ILPre-Owned Vintage Condition From 1999 Collection Lambskin Leather Silver and Gold Tone Hardware Leather Lining Measures 8.75" W x 9.75" H x 4" D Handle Drop 3" 100% Authenticity Guar...Category
Late 20th Century Top Handle Bags
$10,820 Sale Price20% Off - HERMES Cognac Brown Dalvy Ostrich Exotic Gold Top Handle Satchel Tote BagBy HermèsLocated in Chicago, ILPre-Owned Vintage Condition From 1998 Collection Ostrich Leather Lining Gold Tone Hardware Measures 11.75" W x 9.75" H x 4.5" D Handle Drop 3.5" 100% Authenticity Guaranteed by NEW...Category
Late 20th Century Tote Bags
- Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Pink Brown Graffiti Sprouse Carryall Top HandleBagBy Louis VuittonLocated in Chicago, ILMonogram Canvas Leather trim Printed Gold hardware Canvas lining Measures 11.75" W x 8.25" H x 6.75" D Handle drop 3.5" 100% authenticity guaranteed Steven SprouseCategory
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- HERMES Kelly Clear Transparent PVC Vinyl Souvenir Travel Top Handle Tote BagBy HermèsLocated in Chicago, ILPre-Owned Vintage Condition From 1997 Collection Vinyl Measures 15.75" W x 12.25" H x 4.75" D Handle Drop 1.5" 100% Authenticity Guaranteed by NEWFOUND LUXURYCategory
Late 20th Century Top Handle Bags
- HERMES Plume 28 Cognac Tan Brown Ostrich Gold Hardware Top Handle BagBy HermèsLocated in Chicago, ILPre-Owned Vintage Condition From 2002 Collection Ostrich Gold Hardware 11" W x 8" H x 4" D Handle Drop 7" Includes Dust Bag 100% Authenticity GuaranteedCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
$15,940 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping
- Hermes Birkin 30 Black Porosus Crocodile Bag Gold HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Birkin 30 bag featured in classic, rich Black Porosus Crocodile. Beautiful scales accentuated with gold hardware. This exotic Hermes Birkin beauty moves e...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin HSS 30 Crocodile Gris Elephant / Ficelle Bag Gold HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Birkin HSS 30 Crocodile bag featured in Gris Elephant with Ficelle. Gris Elephant is the most exquisite grey with a subtle brown undertone. And Ficelle ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin Sellier 30 Casaque Noir / Bleu Indigo / Bleu Frida Bag Epsom GoldBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a limited edition Hermes Birkin Sellier Casaque 30 tri-colour bag featured in Black and Blue Indigo. Vivid Bleu Frida interior. Beautiful and exotic, this epsom lea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin 25 Bag Black Rose Gold Hardware Togo Leather New w/BoxBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a gorgeous Black Hermes Birkin 25 bag featured with the warm glow of Rose Gold hardware. This beautiful Birkin bag is a perfect combination to move from day to eve...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Tote Bags
- Hermes Birkin HSS 35 Bag Bordeaux Porosus Crocodile Gold HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Birkin HSS 35 featured rich Bordeaux in Porosus Crocodile. An exquisite Hermes crocodile handbag in jewel toned deep Bordeaux. Accentuated with gold hardware. This special order genuine crocodile skin bag...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin HSS 25 Bag Vert Cypress Rose Gold Hardware Togo LeatherBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Birkin HSS 25 bag featured in Vert Cypress with Gold interior. This rich deep green Special Order Hermes Birkin bag is ac...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle 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.