What a Constance costs at JULL today
Counted from our own London stock on 27 October 2026: 5 pieces available, £10,700 to £33,000. These are asking prices at JULL, not market estimates, and the table is rebuilt from the shelf every day, so a row disappears when the last one sells.
| Model | In stock today | Price at JULL |
|---|---|---|
| Hermès Constance 24 | 3 | £12,300 to £19,000 |
| Hermès Mini Constance | 2 | £10,700 to £33,000 |
Every piece above is in London and can be seen at our Chelsea Harbour showroom. See the current stock or ask us to source a specific one. Every model, with its lowest, middle and highest price, is in the UK Hermès Price Index.
There are three bags that define serious Hermès collecting. Two of them — the Birkin and the Kelly — need no introduction. The third is the one insiders reach for when they want Hermès on the shoulder rather than in the hand: the Constance, the H-buckled crossbody that Hermès has made since 1959, produces in smaller numbers than either of its famous siblings, and allocates — quietly — with just as much ceremony.
This is the complete 2026 guide: every size with real measurements, current UK retail and secondary-market prices, the leathers that hold value, how allocation works for this specific bag, and the honest arithmetic of buying one in London this year.
The Constance in Sixty Seconds
Designed by Catherine Chaillet in 1959 and named after her daughter, the Constance is a structured shoulder-and-crossbody bag built around a single unmistakable signature: the oversized lacquered-metal H clasp. It predates the Birkin by a quarter-century, it has been carried by everyone from Jackie Kennedy onward, and it occupies a singular position in the range — the only Hermès icon designed to be worn hands-free, which is precisely why it has become the modern collector's daily driver while the Birkin stays home.
Two structural facts drive everything else in this guide. First, production is genuinely small — the Constance's clasp and construction make it one of the more labour-intensive bags per centimetre in the workshop, and boutique allocation reflects it. Second, demand has broadened sharply as crossbody wear became the default of the 2020s. Small supply, growing demand: the Hermès equation, in its purest form outside the quota list.
Sizes: 14 to 24, and What Actually Fits
| Model | Dimensions (cm) | Fits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro Constance 14 | 14 × 11 × 4 | Cards, lipstick, folded notes | Evening, collectors |
| Constance 18 (Mini) | 18 × 15 × 5 | Large phone, card case, keys | The modern default |
| Constance 24 | 24 × 15 × 7 | Phone, small wallet, sunglasses | Day-to-evening versatility |
| Constance Élan | 25 × 13 × 5 | East-west layout; phone, wallet | The 2026 fashion pick |
| Constance To Go | wallet-on-strap | Cards, notes, phone | Entry point, travel |
The 18 is the contemporary bestseller — proportioned for the phone-first life and sized for the resale market's strongest demand. The 24 is the connoisseur's choice, closer to the bag's 1959 proportions, and in 2026 it is quietly outperforming as buyers tire of mini-bag impracticality. The Élan — the elongated east-west silhouette — is having its moment as fashion's horizontal-bag revival gathers pace, and we expect its resale curve to steepen accordingly. The To Go, a wallet that becomes a crossbody, is the smart £5,000-range entry into the H-clasp club.
UK Prices 2026: Retail vs Reality
Boutique pricing after the January 2026 increase sits approximately as follows — with the usual caveat that walking in and buying one is not how the Constance works (more below):
| Model | UK boutique (approx.) | Secondary market, excellent condition |
|---|---|---|
| Constance 18, classic leathers | ~£8,500–£9,200 | £10,000–£13,000 |
| Constance 24, classic leathers | ~£9,500–£10,300 | £11,500–£14,000 |
| Constance Élan | ~£9,000–£9,800 | £11,000–£15,500 (ostrich higher) |
| Constance To Go | ~£4,200–£4,800 | £4,600–£6,000 |
| Exotics (lizard, croc, ostrich) | by allocation | £15,000–£46,000+ |
Three observations from our stock room. The Constance trades at a healthy premium to retail — typically 1.2–1.4x for fresh classic-leather examples — and that premium has proven more stable than the Birkin's through the 2025–26 market normalisation, because supply is structurally thinner. Ostrich Constances are the sleeper asset of the range: spectacular in the Élan silhouette, genuinely rare, and increasingly chased by collectors bored of Togo. And the To Go has been the strongest percentage performer, riding both the wallet-on-chain trend and its role as the affordable gateway.
What a Constance Costs at JULL, October 2026
Against the table above, here is what is actually on the floor at Chelsea Harbour on 8 October 2026: nine Constance bags, plus two small pieces. The Mini Constance (18 cm) in Epsom — Noir with rose-gold or palladium hardware, and Rose Azalée — runs from £10,700 to £12,300; a Constance 18 in Doré Chèvre with permabrass hardware is £16,000. In the 24 cm size, Nata Epsom is £12,300, the On a Summer Day multicolour is £13,000, and a Bordeaux shiny alligator 24 is £19,000. A Constance Élan in Bubblegum ostrich is £15,500, and the one true rarity on the shelf, a Mini Constance Clouté in Nata, is £33,000. For the H without the bag, a Constance To Go in Gris Patiné Epsom is £5,000 and a Constance Slim Wallet in black Epsom is £2,700. Each piece is authenticated by hand and can be seen before a deposit is paid; these figures change as pieces sell, so the gallery holds the live price.
Leathers and the H: What to Choose
Epsom dominates the Constance and for good reason: the embossed structure holds the bag's architectural lines, resists scratches, and gives the H clasp the crisp backdrop it deserves. The majority of modern Constances — and the majority of strong resale results — are Epsom. Box calf is the heritage choice: the original 1959 leather, glossy, formal, patina-prone and increasingly collectible in vintage examples. Swift brings saturated colour at the cost of scratch-resistance. Ostrich and lizard elevate the bag into the exotics conversation at half a Birkin-exotic's price — our exotic skins guide covers the care and paperwork. Hardware: the H comes in gold, palladium, brushed finishes, enamel and — in the rarest examples — lizard or diamond inlay; classic metal H on Epsom in black, gold, étoupe or Craie remains the liquidity king. Our colour index applies to the Constance precisely.
How Constance Allocation Actually Works
The Constance is not a quota bag — no formal two-per-year ceiling — but do not mistake that for availability. Boutiques receive few, allocate them to established clients, and use them exactly as they use the Birkin conversation: as a reward for history. Walk-in odds are effectively zero in London, Paris or Dubai; the dynamics we describe in our allocation explainer apply in full, merely without the paperwork. In practice, many clients find the Constance harder to source at retail than a Birkin 30 — there are simply fewer of them.
Which is why the secondary market carries the weight for this model. The bag you want — size, leather, hardware, this month — is a stock-room question, not a relationship question. Our current Constance selection typically runs six to ten pieces, Minis to Élans, Epsom to ostrich, all authenticated and viewable in Chelsea Harbour the same week.
Constance vs Kelly vs Birkin: The Honest Comparison
Choose the Constance if you want your Hermès on your body and out of your hands — commuting, travelling, dinner, school run. It is the most wearable icon Hermès makes, full stop. Choose the Kelly if you want one bag that does structured-formal and crossbody-casual with the strap. Choose the Birkin if presence matters more than practicality. Investment-wise the ranking has quietly shifted: over the past three years the Constance 18's resale premium has been the most stable of the three, the Kelly's the strongest at the top end, and the Birkin's the most volatile as supply normalised — the full numbers are in our investment analysis.
Buying a Constance in 2026: The Checklist
Verify the clasp mechanism — the H should close with a firm, single click; loose or misaligned clasps are the Constance's signature wear point and an expensive repair. Check the strap drop — vintage examples run shorter; if you want true crossbody on a taller frame, measure, don't assume. Inspect Epsom corners — the leather's great strength is also its tell: worn Epsom corners can't be massaged back the way Togo can. Authenticate properly — the Constance's popularity has caught the superfake industry's attention; the clasp engraving, stamp placement and stitch-count are the tells, covered in our authentication guide. Buy the size for your life, not the trend — an 18 that fits nothing you carry is a shelf ornament at £11,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is an Hermès Constance in 2026? UK boutique pricing runs roughly £8,500–£10,300 for classic-leather 18s and 24s after the January 2026 increase. On the secondary market, excellent examples trade at £10,000–£14,000, with exotics from £15,000 to £46,000+. The Constance To Go starts around £4,600 pre-owned.
Is the Constance harder to get than a Birkin? At retail, frequently yes. It is not a formal quota bag, but production volumes are smaller and boutique allocation follows the same purchase-history logic. Many established clients report waiting longer for a requested Constance than for their first quota offer.
Which Constance size is best? The 18 for phone-first daily carry and the strongest resale demand; the 24 for capacity and classic proportions; the Élan for fashion-forward wear in 2026's east-west moment. If it is your only Hermès, the 18 in Epsom with gold hardware is the liquid, wearable, never-wrong answer.
Is the Constance a good investment? Among the most stable of all Hermès bags: consistent 1.2–1.4x retail premiums, supported by structurally thin supply. It lacks the Birkin's headline upside but has shown less downside through the 2025–26 market normalisation. Classic colours in Epsom, and ostrich in any colour, lead the field.
Does the Constance come with a strap? The strap is integrated and non-removable on classic Constances — length varies by era, so vintage buyers should check drop measurements. The Constance To Go's strap is likewise fixed; only care pieces differ. This is one reason authentication photos should always include the strap attachments.
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JULL is a specialist Hermès personal shopping service in Chelsea Harbour, London. We source new, unworn and pre-owned Constance, Birkin, Kelly and rare Hermès pieces through a private network of collectors and boutique clients. Every bag is authenticated and available to view at our Chelsea Harbour showroom. Browse available bags or get in touch to source a specific Constance.
