Behind every Hermès bag there is a story, a waitlist, or both. The maison produces far more than the two famous icons. This guide covers the different Hermès bag names, what each style is for, roughly what they cost, and which ones you can actually walk in and buy.
Already know which model you are after? Skip straight to it below. Starting fresh? Go in order, since the styles are grouped by availability.
Birkin and Kelly: The Quota Bags
Each year, Hermès restricts how many of its two flagship bags any client can purchase. Among collectors, these are known as the quota bags. You cannot just walk in and 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. You will most often see it in the 25, 30, and 35 sizes.
Retail Hermès Birkin bag prices begin near $11,000–$12,000 for a Togo leather 25 and rise sharply for exotic skins. On the secondary market, expect $20,000 and up for popular sizes and colors. Diamond-encrusted crocodile Birkins hold the record as the most expensive Hermès bags, with auction prices in the hundreds of thousands.
Hermès Kelly Bag
Older and more refined, the Hermès Kelly bag pairs a single top handle with a sculpted flap and a removable shoulder strap. It comes in two constructions: Sellier (rigid, sharp edges) and Retourne (softer, relaxed). The bag shot 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. The mini Kelly bag (the Kelly 20) is currently the hardest of all to get, and resale prices often double retail.
Kelly vs Birkin 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 Icons You Can Actually Order
These styles still require patience at busy boutiques, but there is no annual limit. For plenty of buyers, this is where the smart money lands.
Hermès Constance Bag
A structured shoulder bag with the big "H" clasp — the closest thing Hermès has to a logo bag. The Constance moves from day to evening easily and keeps its value almost on par with the quota bags. The Constance 18 starts at roughly $8,500 retail.
Hermès Evelyne Bag
Hermès positions the Evelyne as its 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 roughly $3,500–$4,000, it is one of 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. The Mini Lindy has become the trend piece of the line in recent years.
Hermès Picotin Bag
The Picotin is a small open bucket bag inspired by a horse's feed bag. It skips lining and hardware complications in favor of a simple lock-through closure. When people search for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one they mean. With a starting price around $3,000, it regularly comes up as the cheapest leather Hermès bag.
Hermès Garden Party Bag
A practical tote in canvas and leather, made for daily errands. The Garden Party serves as the range's workhorse and is one of the simplest styles to locate in a boutique. Expect to pay more for all-leather editions; the canvas blend keeps the entry price accessible.
More Hermès Bag Names You Should Know
There is real depth to the catalog. You will see these styles constantly in boutiques and on resale platforms:
Bolide — a rounded zip-top bag, one of the first handbags ever made with a zipper.
Roulis — a compact shoulder bag with a distinctive metal clasp; a quieter alternative to the Constance.
Herbag — canvas body with a leather Kelly-style flap; interchangeable bags on one 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 house's saddle bag silhouette, with a clasp drawn from equestrian hardware.
In-the-Loop — a modern bucket-shaped style, popular in the 18 size on the pre-owned market.
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 Is a Hermès Bag?
Short answer: from about $3,000 to well past $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 — about $3,500–$9,000
Structured icons: Constance, Kelly, Birkin — around $8,500–$13,000+ at retail
Exotics and rare pieces: crocodile, ostrich, and limited runs — from $30,000 into six figures
Prices rise most years, and secondary-market prices for quota bags typically sit 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 reddit 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. Machine-perfect stitching and lightweight hardware usually give a fake Hermès bag away. If in doubt, pay for professional authentication — the fee is nothing compared with the bag's price.
Vintage Hermès bags reward buyers in their own way. An older Kelly or Bolide often undercuts new non-quota styles on price and carries patina no new bag can replicate.
What Should Your First Hermès Bag Be?
Want a single answer? The Evelyne for casual days, the Constance for dressier lifestyles, and the Picotin for the cheapest route into Hermès leather. Chase the Birkin or Kelly once you know the house — or buy authenticated pre-owned and skip the waitlist entirely.
More on this topic: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.