Among the most iconic bags in the world of fashion, the Kelly by Hermès is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed, with its trapezoidal structure and straight flap with twist closure; its silhouette is present on social media, in big movies, and on red carpets around the world.
But how did this highly acclaimed Hermès bag originate? What events led it to reach the fame it holds today? Next, we will delve into the history of the classic of classics, the Kelly by Hermès.
Pay attention!
- The birth of a legend
- The bag that made history
- Versions and special editions
The birth of a legend
Grace Kelly in the set of To Catch a Thief
It all began in 1892, when Charles Émile Hermès, the son of the brand’s founder, designed a prototype saddlebag to carry on the saddle, which he called Haut à courroies (shoulder bag). Charles Émile continued the original Hermès tradition, which began as a family workshop for making harnesses and saddles for equestrian sports in Paris.
However, with the change of times, new fashion trends and the beginning of a new century, the Haut à courroies mutated to become a trapezoidal bag for ladies, representing a completely innovative design for the year 1928, when feminine fashion had not yet taken another step towards the use of spacious bags.
This new Haut à courroies design was renamed Sac à dépêches (dispatch bag) and was introduced to the market by Robert Dumas, the son-in-law of Émile-Maurice Hermès.
The Sac à dépêches quickly became famous, with thousands of socialites using this accessory made of box calf leather. However, the Hermès bag achieved true stardom in 1955, when the acclaimed actress Grace Kelly wore a collection of Sac à dépêches during her appearance in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief. The young woman completely fell in love with Sac à dépêches and acquired multiple of them in different colors to wear them in her day to day life.
But what curious fact caused the Sac à dépêches to change its name? Well, in 1956, the beautiful American actress rose to the fore of the monarchy, becoming the wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Now all eyes and cameras were pointed at Grace Kelly, who was expecting a baby shortly after her marriage to the prince, however, the young woman had not yet made the announcement of her pregnancy official, so she hid the first signs of her belly with a Sac à dépêches from Hermès.
The image of Princess Grace Kelly holding the Sac à dépêches in all the magazines of the time was enough for journalists and fans of the actress to call the bag “The Kelly.” After the great success and the heyday of the Sac à dépêches from this fact, the atelier Hermès decided to rename the bag as Kelly in 1977, in honor to its biggest admirer, Grace Kelly.
The bag that made history
Princess Grace Kelly with her famous Sac à dépêches
The legend of the Kelly bag stems from the exact model that Grace Kelly used to cover her belly in that famous Life Magazine photograph, and there is no better way to call it than “the bag that made history.”
The princess took it with her over the years, attending multiple important Monaco royal events, which were captured by the cameras of the most influential magazines of the moment, catapulting Grace Kelly as a fashion icon, but also exalting the Hermès name along with her image.
The years passed and after the death of the princess in 1982, her belongings were kept in the archives of the Palace of Monaco, along with them stood out the legendary Sac à dépêches that made history. Today the acclaimed bag is on exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum located in the UK.
The fabulous example is made of box calf leather in brown color with Retourne stitching, that is, with internal stitches that make the shape of the bag less rigid. Grace Kelly’s Sac à dépêches features 18k gold hardware with some visible rust and scratches, which show the passage of time and continuous use. Similarly, the body of the bag shows some wear on the leather.
Versions and special editions
Through time the Kelly bag has become one of the classics of the atelier, and that is why its iconic figure has been transformed on some occasions to give it a new, interesting, adorable and entertaining style, putting into practice the creativity of Hermès artisans and many other artists who collaborate with the fashion house.
This is how special and limited editions of the Kelly bag have been created, many of them have gained great recognition and value in the international resale and auction markets, turning them into gold mines for those who collect them.
Without further ado, we will show you the limited and special editions of Kelly bags.
Kellydole
This adorable version of the Kelly bag was inspired by the creative drawings of Jean-Louis Dumas, one of the former directors of Hermès, who had created a character with the same characteristics, which he called “quelleidole” (what an idol), giving as its name Kellydole originated when it was adapted to the structure of the iconic bag in the year 2000.
This Kelly comes in a fairly small size of 15 centimeters and is typically made of Swift calf skin, although in some cases crocodile skin and even the Varanus Salvator lizard skin have been seen. Very eccentric! Similarly, Kellydole bags come with all sorts of color combinations and hardware.
Kelly Mini Picnic
This spring Kelly model was originally introduced in 2011 in 35-centimeter bags, but due to the great demand for the accessory, Hermès decided to bring a small-size or Mini Kelly version to the market in 2019, and to this day it has been a success.
This striking specimen is crafted from Osier wicker, with Swift calf leather flaps and Sellier stitching. It can currently be found in the various colors in the Hermès catalog and comes exclusively with palladium-plated hardware.
Kelly Cavalcadour
The Kelly Cavalcadour or Cavalcade was inspired by a design created by the magnificent artist Henri d’Oringy in 1981, showing different straps of riding harnesses intertwining. This original design stands out on a camp canvas body, cased in Swift noir (black) leather lines.
The most interesting thing about this pattern is that none of the few bags that hit the market have the same sequence of intertwined straps or their colors. Which means that each piece is totally unique. Incredible!
Kellygraphie
The Kellygraphie is a very exclusive model inspired by the calligraphy carried out by the anonymous cartoonist Mademoiselle D. in 1930 in the Hermès workshops, who made at least 60 special drawings, including a set of Art Deco style letters.
Hermès designers decided to take up Mademoiselle D.’s calligraphy and apply it to Kelly bags in combinations that only include the letters “H”, “E”, “R”, “M”, “E”, “S”, alluding to the name of the brand, with each of its “E” with a different style. Today Kellygraphie bags can be found in any of the 6 letters and in different color combinations from the catalog.
Best of all, VIP customers can choose to place a special order with one of Mademoiselle D.’s calligraphy letters and can choose any letter from the alphabet. If you are interested in learning more about Hermès special orders, check out this article.
Kelly Au Galop, Au Pas, Au Trot
A cheval is a special Hermès collection named in this way to pay tribute to its beginnings in the world of horsemanship, the word cheval means “horse”. Within this exclusive collection of Kelly bags, the atelier plays with three unique models of captivating and quite elegant designs.
Each of these three pieces features distinctive designs on the iconic Kelly bag handle, with features that allow them to be distinguished from one another. These special editions of Kelly take much more time and dedication on the part of the artisans to make, as the handle designs are very elaborate and require extra layers of leather to make.
The three designs are distinguished as follows: The Au Galop (gallop) stands out for its zig-zag pattern on the handle, the Au Pas (walking) shows three horizontal lines, typically the middle one is of a contrasting color, and the Au Trot (trot) has a solid color divided by stripes. You already know how to differentiate them!
Kellywood
This impressive Kelly model hit the market in 2020 in extremely rare quantities, making it a very limited edition. The main attraction of this model resides in its crafting materials since the Kellywood body is made of bog oak, with a flap and details in Barenia-type calf skin.
The dark and sumptuous character of oak wood is made even more striking by the incorporation of layers of aluminum delicately inserted between the wood, giving it a repeating pattern across the entire surface of the bag. Definitely a Hermès work of art!
What do you think of these special editions of the Kelly bag?
Now that you know more about the iconic history of this Hermès classic, and the many models and special editions, we invite you to take a look at the Birkin and Constance bags, the two other members of Hermès Trinity. Don’t miss out on them!
If you want to start your collection of Hermès bags, you can access our online store, a perfect space for you to get everything you are looking for from this French brand, with the support of our experts and with infallible proofs of authenticity. Everything within the reach of a click!
Check out these authenticity elements to make sure your Kelly bag is original.
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