[Sejarah Hermes Kelly]History of the Hermes Kelly Bag

Why the Kelly Bag is So Named

The Kelly bag is so named after the actress Grace Kelly, when in 1956, the then Princess of Monaco used one of her two favorite Hermès bags to shield her pregnant stomach from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. Photographs of her covering her stomach bulge with her hallowed Hermès were splashed all over the world and made it onto the cover of Life magazine!

When discussing her high-profile life, Kelly said “the freedom of the press works in such a way that there is very little freedom from it.” A sentiment that many A-list celebrities and royals can still relate to today.
When faced with a pack of nosy photographers, Stephanie Pendersen, in her book, Handbags, What Every Woman Should Know, says that the shy, newly married Princess, not yet wishing to announce her pregnancy to the world, did what any woman would do and hid her secret in her handbag! Such was Kelly’s influence at the time that from henceforth, her essential accessory became known as the “Kelly” bag.
Nowadays, according to Miller’s Handbags — a Collector’s Guide , vintage examples of the Hermès Kelly change hands for large amounts of money. An early 1960s crocodile Kelly, for example, would be expected to fetch anything from $3,000 - $6,000 at a top auction house.

Identifying a Kelly Bag

Kelly bags come in 5 different sizes and are usually made from crocodile, alligator, ostrich-skin or plain leather. According to Miller’s guide, they are identifiable by their distinctive metal-tipped clasp, which can be closed with a tiny padlock. Swathed in leather, the clasp's hidden key often dangles from the handle.

One of the most memorable, recent Kelly bags is the early ‘90s Hermès Silk Scarf Kelly, a beautiful design of silk florals, based around the famous scarf. In the year 2000, to celebrate the Millennium, heir of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, added a touch of humor to a limited edition Kelly ( named Quelle Idole aka Kelly Doll) by transforming the Kelly into a doll; with a face, and arms and feet sprouting from the body of the bag.

How a Kelly Bag is Made

In Anna Johnson’s Handbags, The Power of the Purse, Johnson points out that a 1956 Hermès Alligator Bag took 2 alligators to make a Kelly, with the exotic skin culled from the reptiles’ jowls and the belly.
Johnson details the finer points of the making of a Kelly bag; the fact that it takes a single craftsman around 18 hours to produce one of these beauties.
Once the hand-cut skins (selected by personal customer order) have arrived, they are laid out, resembling a mini-dress and the lining or the bag is hand-sewn in. The base of the bag is then created, using waxed linen thread and a tough double-saddle stitch, where perforations are painstakingly made into the leather. The following step is the creation of the handle and then the front flap is stitched and added to the body of the bag. The clasp and the four feet at the base of the Kelly are then fitted and the famous padlock added.
The inside of a Kelly bag is as beautifully and as painstakingly made as the outside, an honored tenet of Hermès, according to Pendersen. The bags seams are smoothed, dyed and waxed.
Interestingly, the penultimate finishing touch involves the Kelly being ironed, to get the wrinkles out the skin. The very last touch is to christen the bag with the famous Hermès Paris logo, and another Kelly bag is born.

Famous Kelly Clients

Although other Hollywood stars carried this iconic bag, (such as Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich) none had the same impact as Grace Kelly. The Kelly bag now enjoys a cult status and is a modern day moviestar in its own right, featuring in recent TV and Hollywood movies such as Sex and the City and Le Divorce. Together, with its sister, the Birkin, they have become two of the most famous designer bags of all time. Victoria Beckham is one of the modern day celebrities famous for her Hermès Birkin and Kelly collection.

Other Designer It-bags

The Hermès Kelly bag is one of a long line of classic handbags which join the ranks of collectable classic and modern purses such as the Chanel 2.55, and the Fendi Baguette.

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