It is probably the most famous handbag in the world. Designed by Robert Dumas in the 1930s, the Kelly was unlike any other bag. It was first called sac à courroie pour dames, meaning bag with straps for ladies. The bag was not an immediate best seller, but nonetheless, remained in the Hermes collection. It wasn’t until 1956 that the bag, with the help of a princess and a pregnancy, was propelled toward its iconic stature.
It seemed that no one could get enough Grace Kelly. An award winning film and stage actress, Grace Kelly was to many a shining example of all that was 1950’s Hollywood glamour. Talented, poised, graceful and breathtakingly beautiful, Grace Kelly enchanted audiences and individuals everywhere. In 1956, news of Grace Kelly’s engagement to Prince Rainier III of Monaco was a sensation.possible end to Kelly's . The press heralded the union as the "The Wedding of the Century."
Not long after the wedding, the newly married Princess, not yet wishing to announce her pregnancy to the world, used one of her two favorite Hermes bags to shield her pregnancy from the prying eyes of the press. Photographs of her covering her stomach bulge with her Hermès handbag were splashed all over the world and made it onto the cover of Life magazine! Such was Kelly’s influence at the time that from henceforth, her essential accessory became known as the “Kelly” bag. It was renamed the Kelly by fashionistas, but only officially renamed 21 years later and has enjoyed an iconic status ever since.
