Hermès Kelly 28 · London

The Kelly comes in five everyday sizes and the 28 is the one in the middle, which is exactly why it is the one most clients end up with. It measures 28 centimetres across the base, about 22 tall and 10 deep. That is room for an A5 notebook, a phone, a long wallet, sunglasses in their case and a small pouch, with the flap still closing without a fight. The 25 below it is an evening bag that can be pressed into daytime; the 32 above it is a working bag that has become a vintage collector's size. The 28 is the one that does both without apology.

Every Kelly 28 comes with a removable shoulder strap, and on this size the strap matters more than on any other. Hand-held by the top handle it is a formal bag; on the strap it becomes a day bag, and the strap length Hermès gives the 28 sits it at the hip on most frames rather than under the arm. Clients who find the 25 too small on the shoulder and the 32 too heavy usually settle here within a minute of trying all three, which is one of the reasons we keep all three at Chelsea Harbour.

The construction question is the real decision. Sellier is the rigid version: the panels are stitched with the seams facing outward, the edges are painted, and the bag stands like a small piece of architecture. It is made in leathers that hold a line — Epsom above all, then Box, Chèvre and Tadelakt — and it keeps its shape for decades. Retourné is the soft version: the bag is stitched inside out and turned, so the seams are hidden, the corners are rounded and the whole thing relaxes over time. It is made in Togo, Clémence, Swift and the softer exotics. Sellier photographs better; Retourné is kinder to a busy day. Neither is more correct, and most collections end up holding one of each.

Leather follows from that choice. Epsom is embossed, light and resistant to scratches, and it is the leather of the modern Sellier 28 — crisp, easy to keep, and available in the widest run of colours. Togo has a pronounced grain and a satisfying weight; it is the Retourné 28's natural skin and it forgives a great deal. Clémence is Togo's softer, heavier cousin and slouches sooner. Box calf, smooth and glossy, is the leather of the vintage Kelly and of the 28s from the 1990s and early 2000s that turn up more than any other size; it marks, it ages, and its owners would not have it any other way. In exotics the 28 is the size at which alligator and crocodile stop being jewellery and become a bag you can actually use.

Hardware on a Kelly 28 is a choice between palladium and gold, with permabrass appearing on a few pieces and rose gold rarely. Gold with black, Gold with Gold leather, palladium with Étoupe, Gris Meyer or Bleu Nuit: those are the pairings that sell first and hold value best in what we see. The colours clients ask for on this size are the working neutrals — black, Étoupe, Gold, Craie — and one strong colour they intend to wear with everything, usually a red or a blue.

A vintage 28 is a different purchase from a recent one and should be looked at differently. Older Box calf bags carry their history on the surface, the strap is often shorter, and the date stamp — a letter inside a circle or square, or on the newest pieces a letter alone — puts the year within reach of anyone who knows the table. We photograph the stamp on every piece and state the year in the listing. On the modern bags the questions are simpler: whether the corners have been protected, whether the handle has darkened, whether the touret still turns cleanly, and whether the set — box, dust bag, clochette, keys, lock and strap — is complete.

Every Kelly 28 we list has been through that inspection in our London workroom. The four corners, the base, the handle, the strap fittings, the plaque and turn-lock, the stitching along the flap and the stamp are checked before the bag is priced, and the condition line on each page says plainly whether the piece is new, unworn or pre-owned, and what that meant when we examined it. Where a bag is missing a piece of its set we say so rather than leave you to discover it.

The Kelly 28s on this page are in London now. See them in hand at our Chelsea Harbour showroom, by appointment seven days a week, and try the 25 and the 32 alongside if you are not yet sure of the size. Or reserve online and have the bag delivered insured, next day anywhere in the UK, once payment has cleared. If the combination you want — a Sellier in Epsom Gold, say, or a Retourné in black Togo with palladium — is not here today, we source Kelly 28s to order and will tell you honestly how long it is likely to take.