Why is Hermès so special?

Hermès is so special for a few reasons. The French luxury house is one of the most storied fashion labels in the world and has a rich heritage that dates back to 1837.Hermès began in Paris as a maker of leather equestrian goods for European noblemen. The house later 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 jewelry to pillows and handbags .Hermès artisans spend years honing their craft as apprentices before they produce Hermès pieces in premium materials. For example, the Kelly bag , which was named in tribute to one of its biggest fans, Grace Kelly, takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce , and its 680 hand stitches are made by one Hermès artisan. Each Birkin tote is also hand-sewn according to Hermès’s centuries-old saddle-stitching technique, and its exotic leathers , a variety that includes ostrich and crocodile , are subsequently painted and polished by house craftsmen in France.On 1stDibs, explore a selection of vintage Hermès handbags and accessories.

Kelly 32

Kelly Sellier Hermes Gold Hardware

Kelly Retourne

Hermes Courchevel

Hermes Vintage Purse

Hermes Kelly Bag 25 In Iris Or Dark Green

Hermes Red Handbags

Hermes Crocodile

Palladium Hardware

Hermes Rouge Casaque Kelly 32 Bag

$15,950

Hermes Rouge Casaque Kelly 32 Bag

By Hermès

Located in Athens, GA

Hermes Rouge Casaque Kelly 32 Bag. Excellent condition. Red togo leather.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags

"Opaline, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 16" x 32"

By Kelly Rossetti

Located in Westport, CT

This abstract limited edition print by Kelly Rossetti features a cool palette and an abstracted landscape composition in a horizontal format. The artist's loose, expressive brush str...

Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Prints

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Hermes Kelly 32 Retourne 2way Shoulder Handbag Buffalo Skipper Dalmatian

Unavailable

H 9.06 in W 12.6 in D 4.73 in

Hermes Kelly 32 Retourne 2way Shoulder Handbag Buffalo Skipper Dalmatian

By Hermès

Located in London, GB

Hermes Kelly 32 Retourne 2way Shoulder Handbag Buffalo Skipper Dalmatian Additional information: Color / Material : Dalmatian / Buffalo Skipper Pocket : Inside: Zipper Pocket x1, Po...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags

HERMES Black Box Kelly 32 cm Veau Bag GHW Handbag Purse

Unavailable

Unavailable

Size: 32 cm

Herms Kelly 32 cm Prune Evercolor Leather with Gold HDW VERY RARE Leather

By Hermès

Located in New York, NY

Hermes Kelly 32 cm in Prune, an incredible shade of deep purple, this Violet brings elegance, delivering a daily dose of beauty to your outfit!

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Top Handle Bags

HERMES Kelly 32' Clémence Bleu Saint Cyr

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 9.5 in W 12.5 in D 5 in

Hermes Kelly 32 Bicolor Black Brown Ardennes Leather Bag

By Hermès

Located in Singapore, SG

Rarely available in bicolour. It is constructed from ardennes leather which has been discontinued by Hermes. This piece comes complete with original Hermes box, dustbags, shoulder st...

Category

Late 20th Century French Top Handle Bags

Hermes Kelly 32 Black Boxcalf Leather Gold Hardware Vintage Purse

Unavailable

H 9.5 in W 12.5 in D 5 in

Hermes Kelly 32 Black Boxcalf Leather Gold Hardware Vintage Purse

By Hermès

Located in Singapore, SG

Lowest price in the market! This piece is in excellent vintage condition and comes complete with Hermes dustbag, clochette and 2 keys. Minor creases/scratches on surface. Handle is ...

Category

Late 20th Century French Top Handle Bags

Hermes Kelly 32 Raisin Courchevel Leather SHW Top Handle Bag

Unavailable

Hermes Kelly 32 Raisin Courchevel Leather SHW Top Handle Bag

By Hermès

Located in Kowloon, HK

Color: Purple / Raisin (designer color) Material: Courchevel Leather Condition: Rank A Overall: Good, minor defects Surface:Minor Scratches Corners:Minor Scratches Edges:Minor Scrat...

Category

Kelly 32 cm Natura Vert Crocodile Alligator Shiny with Gold HDW

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 24 in W 18 in

Theory of Gravity Still Life 32

By Todd Kelly

Located in New York, NY

Working in oil, spray paint, and collage, Todd Kelly creates geometric, painterly and textured paintings. He often extrapolates successive degrees of abstraction from an initial figu...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas, Spray Paint

2019 Hermes Sac Kelly II Sellier 32 Black

Unavailable

H 9.5 in W 12.5 in D 4.15 in

2019 Hermes Sac Kelly II Sellier 32 Black

By Hermès

Located in Pasadena, CA

Brand new Hermes Kelly Never used, 2019 with records. Trapezoid shape, two triangular Gussets, a sculpted flap, a handle and good storage space.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Trunks and Luggage

Materials

Gold

Unavailable

Hermès Kelly Blue Jean 32cm Azur Togo Leather Shoulder Bag

By Hermès

Located in New York, NY

The Kelly bag 32 13.7"L x 4.3"W x 9"H C mark Taurillon Clemence leather Color : Azur At Hermes every piece has a name.

Category

2010s Tote Bags

Brand New Extraordinary Hermes Kelly32 croc bordeaux & diamond encrusted hardwar

Unavailable

Size: cm

Brand New Extraordinary Hermes Kelly32 croc bordeaux & diamond encrusted hardwar

By Hermès

Located in London, GB

this bag is very rare, being a limited edition, made with Bordeaux shiny Prorosus crocodile and Solid 18 carats White Gold & Diamond Hardware Kelly size 32 Leather: crocodile...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Novelty Bags

Hermes Tangerine Kelly 32cm in Ostrich

Unavailable

Sold

H 8.67 in D 4.73 in L 12.6 in

1995 Vintage Hermès Kelly 32

By Hermès

Located in Gazzaniga (BG), IT

Super iconic and beautiful Hermès bag Kelly 32 Super iconic and beautiful Hermès bag Kelly 32 Vintage, year 1995 Leather Cognac color Single handle Golden hardware Comes with origina...

Category

1990s French Tote Bags

Hermes Kelly 32 gold phw

Sold

W 12.6 in

Hermes Kelly 32 gold phw

By Hermès

Located in London, England

Hermes Kelly 32 Gold colour with palladium hardware epsom leather.

Category

2010s French Top Handle Bags

$42,500

HERMES Gold camel Epsom leather KELLY 25 SELLIER Bag PHW

By Hermès

Located in Zürich, CH

100% authentic Hermès Kelly 25 Sellier bag in Gold Epsom calfskin leather (100%). This luxury Hermès handbag is crafted from finely grained Epsom calfskin leather (100%) in the Maiso...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags

$28,000Sale Price|20% Off

H 8.67 in D 6.3 in L 11.82 in

$49,876

H 9.85 in W 13.78 in D 7.09 in

Hermès Birkin 35 Miel Shiny Porosus Crocodile Palladium Hardware Handbag

By Hermès

Located in Banbury, GB

Investment Piece and Great Deal SKU 33301488 Comes With Hermès Dust Bag, Keys,Padlock,Clochette Date 2007 Model Birkin 35 Serial Number [K] Metal Palladium Materials Crocodile Leath...

Category

2010s French Top Handle Bags

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Kelly 32 For Sale on 1stDibs

Find the exact vintage or contemporary kelly 32 you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Black is a pretty popular color, but we also have Brown, Red, Orange and more in stock now. Finding the perfect kelly 32 may mean sifting through those that were made during different time periods — popular versions were made as early as the 19th Century and a newer one, made as recently as the 21st Century, can also be found on the site. Finding a kelly 32 for sale for women should be easy, but there are 467 pieces available to browse for men as well.

How Much is a Kelly 32?

The price for a kelly 32 starts at $981 and tops out at $192,886, and on average, selling for $9,753.

Hermès for sale on 1stDibs

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.

Finding the Right Handbags-purses-bags for You

An integral part of fashion, handbags and purses have been indispensable accessories ever since we began to carry around personal items. Level of craftsmanship, style and shape matters — from coin purses in ancient Greece to early 20th-century opera bags and onward, handbags have evolved considerably over the years to meet our needs and desires, whether or not you happen to be prioritizing functionality over a flashy exterior.

Once, a single “It” handbag ruled each fashion season. No more. Today, lovers of vintage handbags are savvier and have a wider range of shopping options. Nevertheless, classics created by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Balenciaga still rule.

“It is not a fashion bag — it is a statement bag,” says Mightychic's Debra Kent of Hermès's widely beloved accessories. “When you carry an iconic Hermès bag — Birkin, Kelly, Constance — no one knows how long you have been into this culture or if you are a newbie. Your status is validated immediately.”

First released in 1997, Fendi's Baguette rose to fame along with Carrie Bradshaw, the Sex and the City character portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. Recently, the design has seen such a resurgence in popularity that Fendi has reissued it.

They are part of design history, so owning a handbag has meaning. As New York–based fashion historian Sarah C. Byrd says, “You have made the choice to invest in this piece because you understand the value of it in the past and in the future to come.”

From a 1980s Chanel black leather quilted mini buckle bag to the rare Hermès Birkin 30cm Himalayan with diamond hardware to a range of 19th-century bags, find a rich variety of vintage and designer handbags and purses spanning numerous brands on 1stDibs — seasonal “It” designation no longer needed.

Questions About Hermès

Why is Hermès so special?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024
Hermès is so special for a few reasons. The French luxury house is one of the most storied fashion labels in the world and has a rich heritage that dates back to 1837.

Hermès began in Paris as a maker of leather equestrian goods for European noblemen. The house later 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 jewelry to pillows and handbags.

Hermès artisans spend years honing their craft as apprentices before they produce Hermès pieces in premium materials. For example, the Kelly bag, which was named in tribute to one of its biggest fans, Grace Kelly, takes between 18 and 25 hours to produce, and its 680 hand stitches are made by one Hermès artisan. Each Birkin tote is also hand-sewn according to Hermès’s centuries-old saddle-stitching technique, and its exotic leathers, a variety that includes ostrich and crocodile, are subsequently painted and polished by house craftsmen in France.

On 1stDibs, explore a selection of vintage Hermès handbags and accessories.

Beyond the Birkin: 10 Hermès Bags with ‘If You Know, You Know’ Appeal

What these styles lack in name recognition they more than make up for in cachet.

Dress Like Your Favorite NFL Player with an Hermès HAC Bag

Before the Birkin there was the Haut à Courroies, which has become the chic carryall of choice for the league's most stylish athletes.

This Hermès Picnic Garden Party Bag Is Elegant and Errand-Friendly

Does wicker get more high-end than this?

The Hermès Passe-Guide Bag Might Not Be as Well Known as the Birkin or Kelly, But It’s Every Bit as Chic

Find out why this under-the-radar piece is so exceptional.

How to Spot a Fake Hermès Birkin Bag

The iconic Birkin bag is much coveted — and often copied. Find out how to tell the real deal from a convincing fake. Of course, you don't have to worry about this on 1stDibs, where every seller is highly vetted.