Hermes Kelly Sellier 25 Bag Jade Epsom Gold Hardware
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Design:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 25 cm (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU58817547712
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. Hermès eventually expanded their workshops to design handbags in the years that followed. 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 a 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, Kelly 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 top-handled bag 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Miami, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Hermes Mini Bolide 1923 Matte Alligator Vert Comics Bag Palladium HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Mini Bolide 1923 featured in striking Vert Comics matte Alligator. Charming 'baby' Bolide is a fabulous day to evening treasure. Fresh and crisp with Pal...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Kelly Sellier 25 Blue Frida Bag Gold Hardware Epsom LeatherBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an exquisite Hermes Kelly 25 Sellier bag featured in richly saturated Bleu Frida. This exotic Hermes Kelly bag colour is a beautiful ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Fendi Bag Peekaboo Mint Crocodile Medium Satchel Pastel Ice BlueBy Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld for FendiLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a Fendi Peekaboo Crocodile bag featured in Mint (Pale Ice Blue). This beautiful pastel medium Peekaboo bag is on trend for t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
- Fendi Bag 3Jours Matte Blue Crocodile Tote Medium New w/BoxBy Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi, FendiLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a Fendi 3Jours Medium Blue Matte Crocodile Bag. A rich and striking electric Blue matte crocodile tote with silver toned hardware. Double handle with top zip closure. Bag comes with a Blue matte crocodile clochette housing a silver Fendi embossed...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Kelly Sellier 32 Tri-Colour Porosus Crocodile Poussiere Poudre FicelleBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Kelly 32 Sellier bag featured in a rare tri-colour Porosus Crocodile. The perfect neutral palette of Poussiere, Poudre and Ficelle. Lush with gold hardwar...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags
- Nancy Gonzalez Brown Gold Washed Crocodile Bag Side TasselsBy Nancy GonzalezLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers a roomy brown Nancy Gonzalez crocodile bag with a gold iridescent overtone. Roomy zip top satchel with rolled skin hand...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Top Handle Bags
- S/S 2015 look # 9 VERSACE PERFORATED PATENT BLUE LEATHER BAGBy VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Collection Spring/summer 2015 look # 9 Gold-plated Medusa hardware Transparent plastic lining Content: 100% Patent leather Removable shoulder strap. Can be carried o...Category
2010s Italian Top Handle Bags
- Hermès Kelly Bag 32 Clemence Leather Blue Izmir Top Handle BagBy HermèsLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITBag by Hermès, Kelly model, size 32, made in Clemence leather, soft and textured to the touch, in the Blue Izmir colorway, with silver hardware. Equipped with the classic flap with i...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Chanel Aqua Lambskin Trendy CC Top Handle BagBy ChanelLocated in Palm Beach, FLThis authentic Chanel Aqua Lambskin Trendy CC Top Handle Bag is in pristine condition. A beautiful classic, the Trendy CC is a ladylike silhouett...Category
2010s Structured Shoulder Bags
- Hermès 20 cm Special Edition Blue Bi Color Epsom Mini KellyBy HermèsLocated in Palm Beach, FLThis authentic Hermès 20 cm Special Edition Blue Bi Color Epsom Mini Kelly is pristine with the protective plastic intact on the hardware. Petite and femi...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Kelly 28 Sellier Epsom Leather Rose Extreme Pink Palladium Hardware NEWBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLAbsolutely Stunning Rare As New Hermes Kelly 28 Sellier Rose Extreme Pink Epsom Leather complimented by Gold Hardware. As New with Plastic on all har...Category
2010s French Structured Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Kelly 28 Sellier Mauve Sylvester Pink Epsom Palladium Hardware 2022By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLAbsolutely Stunning Rare and Most Coveted As New 2022 RARE Hermes Kelly 28 Sellier Mauve Sylvester Epsom Leather , Complimented by Palladium Hardware. AS NEW U STAMP 2022. Includes a...Category
2010s French Structured 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.