The quick verdict
- Buy the Constance if you want the most wearable Hermès icon after the Birkin and Kelly — the H clasp, the chain, the perfect crossbody.
- Buy the Evelyne if you want relaxed Hermès for real life — lightweight, comfortable, and the house’s best casual bag.
- Buy the Herbag if you want the smartest entry into Hermès — canvas and leather, beautifully made, honestly priced.
Beyond the Birkin and Kelly, Hermès makes some of the most characterful bags in luxury — the crossbody icons, the casual classics, and the clever entry points that carry the house’s craftsmanship without the allocation games. This guide compares six genuine Hermès bags beyond the big two.
1. Hermes Constance Bag
The Constance is Hermès’s third icon — the compact flap with the sculptural H clasp, worn on a chain or leather strap. It’s the Hermès crossbody perfected: sharp, jewel-like, and instantly recognisable to those who know. The H hardware is the house’s most beautiful closure.
This is the Hermès for evenings and polished days when the Birkin feels like too much and the Kelly too formal. The Constance is also the most practical of the three icons — the strap makes it hands-free. If you love Hermès but live a crossbody life, this is your bag.
2. Hermes Herbag 31
The Herbag is Hermès’s best-kept secret — canvas and Hunter cowhide in a Kelly-inspired shape, at a fraction of the icons’ price. The 31 is the practical size: roomy, lightweight, and beautifully made with the house’s signature stitching and hardware.
This is the smartest Hermès buy going: genuine craftsmanship, the Kelly silhouette’s charm, canvas that shrugs off daily life, and a price that doesn’t require a waiting list. It’s also interchangeable — the canvas body swaps. For the woman who wants Hermès without the theatre, the Herbag is the answer.
3. Hermes Evelyne III PM Etoupe Clemence Gold Hardware
The Evelyne is Hermès’s casual classic — the crossbody with the perforated H, originally designed for equestrian grooms and adopted by everyone who values comfort. In Etoupe Clemence, the PM is the perfect neutral: soft, lightweight, and endlessly wearable.
This is the Hermès for real life: travel, weekends, school runs, dog walks. The canvas strap adjusts long for crossbody, the leather is forgiving, and Etoupe goes with everything. It will never be the dressiest bag you own, but it may become the most reached-for.
4. Pre-owned Hermes Kelly Retourne 35 Ebene Clemence and Toile H Palladium Hardware
The Kelly 35 in Ebene Clemence and Toile H is the relaxed Kelly — the larger size in the house’s casual canvas-and-leather combination. Retourne construction keeps it soft, and the 35 swallows a working day: laptop in a sleeve, documents, pouch, and more.
Pre-owned is the intelligent route to a Kelly 35: the combination is durable and the canvas keeps the price sensible. This is the Kelly for tall women and heavy carriers who want the icon without the formality — a working Kelly, not a waiting-room Kelly.
5. Pre-owned Hermes HAC Birkin 32 Toile and Barenia Palladium Hardware
The HAC — Haut à Courroies — is the Birkin’s taller ancestor, and the 32 in Toile and Barenia is a collector’s piece with genuine history. The proportions are more vertical than a Birkin, the presence more architectural. This is Hermès for the connoisseur.
Buy the HAC when you know Hermès deeply: it’s rarer than the Birkin, less immediately recognisable, and all the more satisfying for it. The Toile and Barenia combination is hardy and characterful. On the pre-owned market, well-kept HACs are increasingly sought after.
6. Hermes Shadow Kelly Cut Gold Swift Calfskin
The Kelly Cut — the long clutch version of the Kelly — in Shadow (the trompe-l’œil “shadow” of the Kelly’s lines, stitched rather than constructed) is Hermès at its most artistic. In gold Swift, it’s a sculptural evening piece: flat, graphic, unforgettable.
This is an occasion and collector’s Hermès, not a daily bag — the clutch format limits what you carry, and the Shadow technique is for the woman who appreciates craft as art. For the evenings that deserve it, nothing else looks like this.
Constance vs Evelyne: which crossbody?
- Constance: structured, jewel-like, the H clasp as jewellery. Evenings, polish, occasions. The dressed-up Hermès crossbody.
- Evelyne: soft, lightweight, perforated H. Days, travel, real life. The lived-in Hermès crossbody.
They’re complements, not competitors — the Constance for when it matters, the Evelyne for every day. Together they cover a Hermès wardrobe’s crossbody needs completely.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best entry-level Hermès bag?
The Herbag 31 or the Evelyne PM — both are genuinely Hermès in craftsmanship, honestly priced, and available without allocation games. The Herbag offers Kelly-adjacent polish; the Evelyne offers unbeatable casual comfort.
Is the Constance hard to get?
Less so than the Birkin or Kelly, but popular combinations still require patience at boutiques. The pre-owned market is well supplied — buy the best condition you can find from a reputable source.
Can you use an Evelyne for evenings?
The smaller Evelyne in a dark colour works for casual evenings, but it’s fundamentally a day bag. For Hermès evenings, the Constance or Kelly Cut are the proper answers.
The bottom line
Hermès beyond the icons is where the house’s personality shines: the Constance for jewel-like polish, the Evelyne for real-life comfort, the Herbag for intelligent luxury. You don’t need a Birkin to own great Hermès — you need the bag that matches your actual days.
