Behind every Hermès bag there is a story, a waitlist, or both. The maison produces far more than the two famous icons. Below we break down the different Hermès bag names, the purpose of each style, rough pricing, and which ones are actually available to walk-in buyers.
If you already know the model you want, jump to it below. If you are starting from zero, read in order — the styles are grouped by how hard they are to get.
The Quota Bags: Birkin and Kelly
Hermès limits how many of its two flagship bags a client can buy each year. Collectors call these the quota bags. You cannot just walk in and order one. Boutiques reserve them for established clients, so secondary-market prices for both run well past 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. Common sizes are the Birkin 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. Pre-owned, popular sizes and colors command $20,000 and up. 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. You can choose between two builds — the rigid Sellier and the softer Retourne. In 1956 Grace Kelly made it famous, and Hermès later renamed the bag in her honor.
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. 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 works day to night and holds its value almost as well as the quota bags. Pricing opens near $8,500 retail for the Constance 18.
Hermès Evelyne Bag
The Evelyne is the house's casual 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
A slouchy double-zip design, the Lindy works both handheld and over the shoulder. That easygoing shape makes it a travel favorite. Lately, the Mini Lindy has emerged as the trend piece of the family.
Hermès Picotin Bag
The Picotin is a small open bucket bag inspired by a horse's feed bag. No lining, no hardware fuss — just a lock-through closure. If you have searched for a Hermès bucket bag, this is the one people mean. 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 is the workhorse of the range and one of the easiest styles to find 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
The catalog goes deeper than most realize. These styles come up constantly in boutiques and on the resale market:
Bolide — a rounded zip-top bag with a claim to being among the first zippered handbags ever made.
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 small curved crossbody in Swift leather, launched in 2022 and still 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 — flexible shoulder and crossbody styles built to convert between carries.
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?
Short answer: from about $3,000 to well past $100,000. A realistic ladder looks like this:
Entry point (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 rarities: crocodile, ostrich, and limited editions — $30,000 up to six figures
Expect price increases most years; on the secondary market, quota bags usually trade at 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. A Birkin or Kelly realistically comes one of two ways: a purchase history built with a sales associate, or a reputable pre-owned reseller.
If you go pre-owned, authentication is everything. Know how to tell if reddit is real before parting with money: examine the heat stamp, the hand-sewn saddle stitch (slightly angled), the hardware engravings, and the blind stamp. A fake Hermès bag typically reveals itself through machine-perfect stitching and flimsy hardware. If in doubt, pay for professional authentication — the fee is nothing compared with the bag's price.
There is a separate reward in vintage Hermès bags. An older Kelly or Bolide often undercuts new non-quota styles on price and carries patina no new bag can replicate.
Which Hermès Bag Should You Buy First?
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. Save the Birkin or Kelly for when you know the house — or choose authenticated pre-owned and bypass the waitlist completely.
Keep reading: our Hermès leather guide plus Birkin vs Kelly deep dive.