Hermès Bag Styles: The Complete Guide to Every Name #NAME?

· 4 min read
Hermès Bag Styles: The Complete Guide to Every Name  #NAME?

Each Hermès bag comes with a story, a waiting list, or both. The maison produces far more than the two famous icons. In this guide you will find the different Hermès bag names, what each style does best, approximate prices, and which models you can realistically buy in store.

Already know which model you are after? Skip straight to it below. Starting fresh? Go in order, since the styles are grouped by availability.

Quota Bags Explained: Birkin and Kelly

Each year, Hermès restricts how many of its two flagship bags any client can purchase. Collectors call these the quota bags. You cannot just walk in and order one. Boutiques offer them to established clients, which is why the resale market for both runs well above retail.

Hermès Birkin Bag

No handbag in the world is more famous than the Birkin. The design is a structured top-handle tote: two straps, a turn-lock closure, no shoulder strap.  reddit  will most often see it in the 25, 30, and 35 sizes.

Expect Hermès Birkin bag prices to open around $11,000–$12,000 retail for a Togo 25, climbing fast once exotic skins enter the picture. On resale platforms, sought-after sizes and colors fetch $20,000 or more. The most expensive Hermès bags on record are diamond-set crocodile Birkins, which have hit six figures at auction.

Hermès Kelly Bag

The Hermès Kelly bag is the older, more elegant sibling — a single top handle, a sculpted flap, and a removable shoulder strap. Two constructions exist: Sellier, which is rigid with sharp edges, and Retourne, which is softer and relaxed. Grace Kelly made it famous in 1956, and the house renamed the bag after her.

Pricing lands close to the Birkin: about $10,000–$11,500 retail, depending on size and leather. The mini Kelly bag — the Kelly 20 — is presently the toughest to obtain, with resale often at twice retail.

The Kelly vs Birkin question in one line: the Kelly is more formal and fully closes with its flap, while the Birkin is casual, roomier, and quicker to access.

Non-Quota Styles You Can Realistically Buy

These styles still require patience at busy boutiques, but there is no annual limit. Many buyers consider this the smartest place to spend.

Hermès Constance Bag

This structured shoulder bag with the large "H" clasp is the closest Hermès comes to a logo bag. It transitions from day to night and retains value nearly as well as the quota bags. The Constance 18 starts at roughly $8,500 retail.

Hermès Evelyne Bag

The Evelyne is the maison's laid-back crossbody bag. It has a perforated "H" on the front, an open top with a tab closure, and a wide canvas strap. It was designed for grooming equestrian gear, which explains the ventilation holes. Priced near $3,500–$4,000, it is one of the easiest everyday Hermès bags to actually own.

Hermès Lindy Bag

The Lindy is a slouchy, double-zip bag you can carry by hand or over the shoulder. That easygoing shape makes it a travel favorite. The Mini Lindy has become the trend piece of the line in recent years.

Hermès Picotin Bag

The Picotin takes its shape from a horse's feed bag — a small, open bucket design. No lining, no hardware fuss — just a lock-through closure. Anyone looking up a Hermès bucket bag is really looking for this. Starting near $3,000, it is often cited as the cheapest Hermès bag in leather.

Hermès Garden Party Bag

A practical canvas-and-leather tote for daily errands. The Garden Party is the workhorse of the range and one of the easiest styles to find in a boutique. The all-leather versions cost more; the canvas mix keeps the entry price lower.

More Hermès Bag Names Worth Knowing

The catalog runs deep. These styles come up constantly in boutiques and on the resale market:

Bolide — a rounded zip-top design and one of the first zippered handbags in history.
Roulis — a compact shoulder bag with a distinctive metal clasp; a quieter alternative to the Constance.
Herbag — a canvas body under a leather Kelly-style flap, with interchangeable bags on a single frame.
Geta — a petite curved crossbody in Swift leather that debuted in 2022 and remains in demand.
Victoria — an unstructured, soft tote suited to travel and everyday carry.
Della Cavalleria — Hermès's saddle bag shape, finished with a clasp borrowed from equestrian hardware.
In-the-Loop — a modern bucket silhouette whose 18 size does brisk business on the pre-owned market.
24/24, Halzan, Jypsière, Kelly Danse — adaptable shoulder and crossbody designs that switch between carry modes.

The Hermès men's bag range is led by the Haut à Courroies — the Birkin's ancestor — alongside the Steve messenger bag and the Cityback line.

How Much Does a Hermès Bag Cost?

The short answer: anywhere from roughly $3,000 to well over $100,000. A realistic ladder looks like this:

Entry level (canvas and small leather): Herbag, Garden Party canvas, Picotin — about $3,000–$4,500
Everyday leather styles: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — around $3,500–$9,000
Structured icons: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — about $8,500–$13,000 and up retail
Exotic skins and rarities: crocodile, ostrich, and limited runs — from $30,000 into six figures

Expect price increases most years; on the secondary market, quota bags usually trade at 1.5–2x retail.

How to Actually Get a Hermès Bag

Walk-in stock exists for Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and similar styles, especially at larger boutiques. To land a Birkin or Kelly, your realistic options are building purchase history with a sales associate or going pre-owned through a reputable reseller.

If you go pre-owned, authentication is everything. Learn how to tell if a Hermès bag is real before you spend anything: check the heat stamp, the stitching (hand-sewn saddle stitch, slightly angled), the hardware engravings, and the craftsman blind stamp. A fake Hermès bag is usually betrayed by machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware. If in doubt, pay for professional authentication — the fee is nothing compared with the bag's price.

Vintage Hermès bags are their own reward. Older Kellys and Bolides often cost less than new non-quota styles and carry patina no new bag can fake.

Which Hermès Bag Makes the Best First Buy?

If you want one answer: the Evelyne for casual daily use, the Constance if you dress up more often, and the Picotin if you want the lowest-cost entry into Hermès leather. Chase the Birkin or Kelly once you know the house — or buy authenticated pre-owned and skip the waitlist entirely.

Related reading: our Hermès leather guide and Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.