Behind every Hermès bag there is a story, a waitlist, or both. Hermès offers much more than the two bags everyone recognizes. 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.
If a specific model brought you here, jump to its section below. New to the brand? Read top to bottom — the styles are ordered by how difficult they are to obtain.
Birkin and Kelly: The Quota Bags
Each year, Hermès restricts how many of its two flagship bags any client can purchase. These are what collectors call the quota bags. You cannot simply order one. They are offered to established clients only, which is why resale prices for both sit far above retail.
Hermès Birkin Bag
The Birkin is the most famous handbag in the world. The design is a structured top-handle tote: two straps, a turn-lock closure, no shoulder strap. The most common sizes are the 25, 30, and 35.
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 the secondary market, expect $20,000 and up for popular sizes and colors. 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. It comes in two constructions: Sellier (rigid, sharp edges) and Retourne (softer, relaxed). hermes gift bag to fame with Grace Kelly in 1956, and the house eventually named it after her.
Kelly prices sit close to Birkin territory: roughly $10,000–$11,500 retail depending on size and leather. Right now the mini Kelly bag (Kelly 20) is the hardest Hermès bag to source, and resale prices frequently double retail.
The Kelly vs Birkin question in one line: the Kelly is dressier and closes fully with its flap; the Birkin is more casual, roomier, and faster to get in and out of.
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. The Constance moves from day to evening easily and keeps its value almost on par with the quota bags. Retail starts around $8,500 for the Constance 18.
Hermès Evelyne Bag
The Evelyne is the house's casual crossbody bag. It features a perforated "H" front, a tab-closure open top, and a wide canvas strap. It was designed for grooming equestrian gear, which explains the ventilation holes. At around $3,500–$4,000, it ranks among the most attainable everyday Hermès bags.
Hermès Lindy Bag
The Lindy is a relaxed double-zip bag that carries by hand or on the shoulder. That easygoing shape makes it a travel favorite. In recent years the Mini Lindy has turned into the line's trend piece.
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Inspired by a horse's feed bag, the Picotin is a small open bucket style. There is no lining and no hardware fuss, only 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
This is the practical canvas-and-leather tote for everyday errands. The Garden Party serves as the range's workhorse and is one of the simplest styles to locate in a boutique. The all-leather versions cost more; the canvas mix keeps the entry price lower.
Other Hermès Bag Names Worth Knowing
The catalog goes deeper than most realize. 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 signature metal clasp — a subtler take on the Constance.
Herbag — a canvas body under a leather Kelly-style flap, with interchangeable bags on a single frame.
Geta — a small curved Swift-leather crossbody introduced in 2022 and still hard to find.
Victoria — a soft, unstructured tote for travel and daily use.
Della Cavalleria — the maison's saddle bag design, its clasp lifted straight from equestrian hardware.
In-the-Loop — a contemporary bucket shape, especially popular pre-owned in the 18 size.
24/24, Halzan, Jypsière, Kelly Danse — versatile shoulder and crossbody styles that convert between carries.
On the men's side, the Haut à Courroies (the Birkin's ancestor), the Steve messenger bag, and the Cityback line anchor the Hermès men's bag range.
How Much Does a Hermès Bag Cost?
The short answer: anywhere from roughly $3,000 to well over $100,000. A realistic pricing ladder runs like this:
Entry (canvas and small leather): Herbag, Garden Party canvas, Picotin — around $3,000–$4,500
Daily leather: Evelyne, Lindy, Bolide — about $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 editions — $30,000 up to six figures
Prices rise most years, and secondary-market prices for quota bags typically sit 1.5–2x retail.
How to Get a Hermès Bag
You can find the Evelyne, Picotin, Garden Party, and comparable styles as walk-in stock, particularly at bigger boutiques. For a Birkin or Kelly, the realistic paths are building a purchase history with a sales associate, or buying pre-owned from a reputable reseller.
Going pre-owned? Authentication is everything. Before spending a cent, learn how to tell if a Hermès bag is real — inspect the heat stamp, the slightly angled hand-sewn saddle stitching, the hardware engravings, and the craftsman blind stamp. Machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware usually give a fake Hermès bag away. Unsure? A professional authentication service costs a fraction of what the bag does.
Vintage Hermès bags reward buyers in their own way. Older Kellys and Bolides often cost less than new non-quota styles and carry patina no new bag can fake.
What Should Your First Hermès Bag Be?
One answer, three lifestyles: Evelyne for casual daily wear, Constance for dressing up, Picotin for the lowest-cost entry into Hermès leather. Pursue the Birkin or Kelly after you know the house, or go authenticated pre-owned and skip the waitlist altogether.
More on this topic: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.
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