The Hermès Kelly - History & Design
The Hermès Kelly Bag once known as the 'Sac à dépêches' in 1935 has grown to become as highly sort after as the Hermès Birkin bag. Its original origin has come from the first Hermès bag known as the Haut à courroies which was designed in the style of holding a saddle.
The Sac à dépêches was the first handbag that was designed for holding important papers and documents. It was prominently worn by the likes of JFK and the Duke of Windsor. As the twentieth century continued Hermès continued to redevelop. Today the Kelly Bag is designed in a beautiful trapezoid shape, made using the world's most luxurious leathers and exotic skins. A single bag can take 24 hours to make.
In 1954 during the filming of 'To Catch a Thief', the film's costume designed Hitchcock purchased a selection of Hermès accessories, this included a Hermès bag to later be named the Kelly. Grace Kelly at the time fell in love with the bag.
During her pregnancy to husband Prince Rainer of Monaco, shy and newly married she famously held up the bag to shield herself from the paparazzi. The image circulated throughout the world and the public renamed it the Kelly bag.
There is a common misconception that the bag was designed for Princess Grace Kelly but Hermès only renamed the bag to become the Kelly in 1977.
The Kelly now comes in 2 styles, one being a Sellier Kelly which has a stiffening layer between the outer leather and inner lining. The second style is the Retourne Kelly which is a softer version with the stitching being on the inside. The bag had a further update in 2000 when a double ring was added to the handles to allow customers to attach a shoulder strap to the bag.
Will there be another update to the Hermès Kelly bag?
