Kelly 32 gold box bag

The Hermès Kelly bag history began in 1892 when the atelier released the Haut à courroies. It was the first time the design house, devoted to manufacturing exquisite tack and saddles for the French nobility, released an Hermès bag. It was designed to carry a saddle, riding boots, and other essential equestrian gear. The early seeds of the Kelly and Birkin bags can be seen clearly in this original style. The signature flap that secures over the single rolled handle, leather sangles, metal plaque, and touret were all a part of the original design. 

The “Grace Kelly” bag history dates back to the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief, which was released in 1955. The film starred Cary Grant and legendary beauty and actress Grace Kelly. Award-winning costumer Edith Head had chosen the Sac à Dépêches as part of Kelly’s wealthy character’s wardrobe. The star was already a fashion icon, and she loved the bag so much that it is reported that she refused to return it at the movie’s end.

Two years later, Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier III of Monaco, becoming Princess Grace of Monaco. Within a few months, the new princess became pregnant. Their love story seemed like a fairy tale: a small-town American beauty marries a handsome European prince. The media went crazy, and the paparazzi followed the couple everywhere. To shield her growing belly from the cameras, Kelly would hide behind her Sac à Dépêches. A photo of her holding the bag was featured on the cover of Life Magazine, prompting fashionable women the world over to flood Hermès boutiques asking for the “Kelly bag.”

Sales of the Sac à Dépêches skyrocketed. However, it was not until 1977 that Hermès bowed to inevitability and officially changed the name of the Sac à Dépêches to the Kelly bag. The Kelly bag became a cultural touchstone.

Condition: good, minor scratches and stains on the leather.

Dustbag: yes.

Hardware: golden-tone.

Dimensions: 32cm x 24cm x 11cm aprox.