In the world of luxury handbags, there are few as legendary as the Hermès Kelly Bag, especially in its “Coco 25” version. This bag, more than an accessory, is a style statement that, in its own way, also tells a story.
A princess and a secret
The story of the Hermès Kelly Bag begins in the Paris of 1935, when the famous French luxury brand introduced a design called Sac à Dépêches, a compact bag but with enough room for a busy woman’s essentials. The initial idea was to create an elegant and practical bag, and so it was. However, the best part of this story happened twenty years later, in 1956, when Hollywood actress Grace Kelly was photographed with the bag in her hands.
Grace Kelly, by then Princess of Monaco, held the bag strategically, trying to cover her budding pregnancy from the paparazzi. And suddenly, just like that, the Hermès bag went beyond style: it became the piece that revealed (and at the same time hid) the private life of royalty. The press and the public began to call it “the Kelly” and, from then on, the bag was immortalized with that name, in honor of the princess who made it popular.
The perfect size of the Kelly 25: less is more
The Kelly has been reinterpreted in several versions, but the Kelly 25 is the real star.
An amusing anecdote about the size of this model says that when it first appeared, some customers complained that “it didn’t fit what was necessary”. But Hermès stood its ground: the Kelly 25 was designed to carry the essentials and nothing more. In this way, the Kelly 25 established a new idea of practicality in luxury.
Exclusivity: Price and waiting list
For many, the most interesting detail of this bag is neither its design nor its royal origin, but how difficult it is to get it. Buying a Hermès Kelly is not like entering any luxury store, there are waiting lists, appointments and recommendations. But, without a doubt, it has established itself as a great investment and at Setdart you can get it on November 20 in our Luxury Days auction.
