Which Birkin size is the most practical?

The Birkin 30, at roughly 30 by 22 by 16 cm, suits most people for daily use. The Birkin 25 is smaller than most buyers expect and holds little more than a phone, cards and keys. The Birkin 35 takes a laptop and documents.

How big is a Mini Kelly?

The Mini Kelly II, also called the Kelly 20, measures roughly 20 by 16 by 10 cm. It holds a phone, cards and a lipstick, and is currently among the most sought-after bags Hermès produces.

Which Hermès bag holds its value best?

Smaller formats have appreciated fastest over the past decade, particularly the Birkin 25, Kelly 25 and Mini Kelly 20. Larger sizes such as the Birkin 35 and Kelly 32 are currently less fashionable and therefore better value to buy.

Hermès Bag Size Guide

Q: What is the difference between a Kelly Sellier and a Kelly Retourné?

Sellier is stitched with the seams exposed, giving crisp edges and a rigid, formal shape, usually in Epsom leather. Retourné is stitched inside out then turned, giving softer edges and a relaxed shape, usually in Togo or Clemence. Retourné holds slightly more at the same stated size.

Size is the decision most people get wrong, and the hardest one to reverse. Hermès names most bags by their width in centimetres across the base, so a Birkin 30 is thirty centimetres wide. Below is every family we handle, what each size actually holds, and who it suits.

Dimensions are approximate and vary slightly between leathers and between Retourné and Sellier construction.

Birkin

Open-topped, structured, carried in the hand or the crook of the arm. No shoulder strap. Closed with two straps over a turnlock, so it is slower to open than it looks.

Birkin 25 — approx. 25 × 20 × 13 cm. The most in demand and the hardest to source, which is why it trades at the steepest premium over retail. Phone, cardholder, keys, a compact. Not a work bag.
Birkin 30 — approx. 30 × 22 × 16 cm. The balanced choice, and the one most people should buy. Takes a small tablet, a folded scarf and everything you carry daily.
Birkin 35 — approx. 35 × 25 × 18 cm. A genuine working bag: laptop, documents, gym kit. Currently the least fashionable size, which makes it the best value in the family by some distance.
Birkin 40 — approx. 40 × 30 × 21 cm. Weekend travel and men's carry.
Birkin 45 and above — travel formats, mostly older production. Rarely seen and slow to sell.

Birkin variations

Birkin Sellier is stitched with the seams outside, giving a crisper, more rigid silhouette than the standard Retourné. Birkin Cargo adds technical canvas panels and pockets. Birkin Shadow embosses the straps and lock into the leather rather than fitting hardware. Faubourg Birkin is a 20 cm novelty shaped like the Hermès flagship facade, made in tiny numbers and priced accordingly.

Kelly

Closed with a flap and turnlock, and supplied with a shoulder strap. More formal than a Birkin, and slower still to open.

Mini Kelly II (Kelly 20) — approx. 20 × 16 × 10 cm. The most coveted small bag Hermès currently makes. Phone, cards, lipstick, nothing more. Waiting lists are effectively theoretical and secondary prices reflect that.
Kelly 25 — approx. 25 × 19 × 9 cm. Evening and light day use. The size that made the Kelly fashionable again.
Kelly 28 — approx. 28 × 22 × 10 cm. The everyday Kelly, and the most versatile in the family.
Kelly 32 — approx. 32 × 23 × 10.5 cm. Roomier, quietly undervalued, and a better buy than its price suggests.
Kelly 35 — approx. 35 × 24 × 12 cm. The working Kelly.
Kelly 40 — large format, uncommon.

Retourné or Sellier

The most important distinction in the family. Retourné is stitched inside out then turned, giving softer edges and a relaxed shape, usually in Togo or Clemence. Sellier is stitched with the seams exposed, giving crisp edges and a rigid, formal silhouette, usually in Epsom. Sellier looks sharper and holds its shape indefinitely. Retourné is easier to live with and slightly roomier at the same stated size.

The Kelly family beyond the handbag

Kelly Pochette — small evening bag with a removable chain or strap. Consistently scarce.
Kelly Cut — a long, flat evening clutch. Highly collectible, particularly in exotics.
Kelly Danse — unstructured, worn cross-body or at the waist. The most wearable Kelly by a wide margin.
Kelly Élan — elongated and flat, a distinctive silhouette with a narrow following.
Kelly To Go — wallet-on-strap format.

Constance

Shoulder or cross-body, closed with the H clasp. Slim, formal, and unforgiving if you carry a lot.

Constance 18 — approx. 18 × 15 × 5 cm. The classic. Phone, cards, lipstick.
Constance 24 — approx. 24 × 17 × 6 cm. Noticeably more practical for daily use.
Constance Élan — elongated and flat. Distinctive, and quite specific in its appeal.
Constance To Go — wallet on a strap, the entry point to the family.
Constance Slim — belt bag and wallet hybrid.

Everyday and shoulder bags

Less exposed to speculation than the big three, considerably easier to buy, and in most cases far more useful.

Lindy — Mini 20, and 26 and 30. Soft, unstructured, two compartments, carried by hand or on the shoulder. The most practical bag Hermès makes and the most underrated.
Evelyne — TPM 16, PM 29, GM 33, TGM 40. Perforated H, cross-body, one open compartment. The everyday Hermès, and usually someone's first.
Picotin Lock — 14, 18 and 22. An open bucket that cinches with a lock. Casual, light, excellent value.
Bolide — Mini 20, 1923 in 25 and 30, plus larger formats. The first zipped handbag, from 1923. Structured, understated, quietly serious.
Halzan — 25 and 31. Convertible: shoulder bag, cross-body, clutch or tote depending on how you fold it.
Herbag Zip — 31 and 39. Canvas body with leather trim, Kelly-adjacent silhouette at a fraction of the price.
Garden Party — 30 and 36. A practical open tote. The workhorse.
Roulis — 18 and 23. Cross-body with a distinctive slide clasp. Understated and often overlooked.
24/24 — 21, 29 and 35. A newer design blending Birkin and Kelly cues.
Jypsière — slouchy cross-body, several sizes. Genuinely casual.
In-The-Loop — 18 and 23. Contemporary, chain-detailed.
Toolbox — 20, 26 and 33. Rounded and soft, usually in Swift.

Evening and small formats

Kelly Pochette, Kelly Cut, Constance To Go, Egee and Verrou. All designed to hold a phone and very little else. Because production numbers are small, the scarcest of them appreciate faster than full-size bags.

Quick comparison

If you want…	Consider
One bag for everything	Birkin 30, Kelly 28, Lindy 26
Laptop and documents	Birkin 35, Kelly 35, Garden Party 36
Evening only	Kelly Pochette, Kelly Cut, Constance 18
Hands free, cross-body	Evelyne, Roulis, Kelly Danse, Halzan
Maximum resale strength	Birkin 25, Kelly 25, Mini Kelly 20
Best value for money	Birkin 35, Kelly 32, Picotin, Bolide
Something genuinely casual	Picotin, Garden Party, Herbag, Jypsière

Choosing well

Three observations from watching people buy.

Most people buy one size smaller than they will actually use, and regret it. Be honest about what you carry every day, not what you would like to carry.

Structure matters as much as size. A Sellier bag holds less than a Retourné of the same stated width, because rigid sides cannot give. If you are between sizes, construction may decide it for you.

Smaller sizes have appreciated faster over the past decade, reversing the pattern of the 1990s and 2000s. That is worth knowing if value is part of your thinking — but a bag you do not use is not an investment, it is storage.

Leather choice matters as much as size. See our colour and leather reference, or tell us what you are looking for and we will advise before you commit to anything.