Hermès

Hermès Kelly Élan Ardoise Epsom GHW

Epsom · Gold (GHW)

★★★★★ 5.0 · 22 Google reviews · Showroom open 7 days · Checked by hand

Unworn, now sold. Ardoise Epsom, Gold (GHW). Ask our concierge to source the same piece.

Details

The piece in detail

The Kelly Élan is the quiet outlier of the Kelly family, and the one collectors tend to discover late. Where the classic Kelly stands upright and formal, the Élan is stretched long and low — an elongated envelope worn on a thin shoulder strap, closer in spirit to a clutch that happens to have somewhere to be. It was never produced in volume and it vanished from the catalogue for years at a stretch, which is why examples surface so rarely. Ardoise is the right colour for it. A true slate grey with a cool, faintly blue depth, it sits somewhere between charcoal and storm cloud, reading almost black in low light and resolving into a clear grey under daylight. It is the sort of neutral that does the work of black without the severity, and it flatters the long horizontal line of the Élan rather than competing with it. Epsom gives the shape its discipline. The pressed grain holds a crisp edge along the full length of the flap, resists scuffing far better than the softer calfskins, and keeps the bag flat against the body instead of bowing in the middle — a real consideration on a silhouette this elongated. Gold hardware warms the grey considerably, catching at the turn-lock and at the strap fittings, and lifts what could be a severe piece into something closer to evening dress. The W blind stamp places this example in recent production. It arrives unworn: sharp corners, hardware still under protective film, the strap unstretched, and the full set of accompaniments present. Élans in neutral leathers are the ones that move first, and Ardoise with gold is a pairing we see perhaps once a year. Priced at £11,000, fully authenticated, and available to view in London by appointment.

Hermès Kelly Elan, in Ardoise Epsom leather with gold-tone (GHW) hardware. Blind stamp W. Condition: Unworn (new, never carried). Included: the piece as photographed; box, dust bag and receipt confirmed in writing before purchase.

Inspected by hand in our London workroom. Private viewings by appointment.
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