A Closer Look: The Hermès Kelly Dépêches 25 Pouch

Easy riddle:

What looks like an Hermès Kelly
Closes like a Kelly
Makes a great day or evening bag
Is often available on the Hermès website or in the boutique?

And the answer is: the Hermès Kelly Dépêches 25 Pouch

Full disclaimer: I love the Kelly Dépêches 25 Pouch. I think the dimensions are very practical and it looks great – to be honest, I much prefer it over the Kelly Danse, which of course is very difficult to find in a boutique and is extremely popular.

My question, therefore, is: Why is this iteration of the Kelly such an under-the-radar bag?

Well, first, a little backstory. As the name suggests, the design of this bag is rather somewhere between the Kelly and the Kelly Dépêches designs. The Kelly, as we know, is a very elegant women’s bag and….well, the Kelly Dépêches entirely isn’t. The Kelly Dépêches is found in the men’s department – in fact, it’s a briefcase.

The Kelly Dépêches is a really elegant briefcase, and you can see straightaway the similarities between it and the Kelly bag – but the briefcase version has a more boxy proportion, appears more masculine, has a much shorter handle and lacks the clochette and key. Between the two, the proportions of the Kelly Dépêches 25 Pouch definitely lean closer to the Kelly Dépêches than the Kelly (in fact, the exterior of the Pouch essentially mimics that of the briefcase, only removing the top handle and adding a removable wrist strap instead). So, there is that.

Then, it’s to be noted that while the women’s bags come in the usual array of colors and sizes, the Kelly Dépêches 25 Pouch has a much more limited, muted color palette, comprised mostly (if not entirely) of neutrals, although I have seen plenty with either Gold or Palladium Hardware.

And yet…this bag seems so practical and attractive to me, as a truly unisex bag. It’s certainly large enough to hold the basics (official dimensions are L 25.2 x H 19.5 x D 4 cm and there is a slide pocket up front, right under the flap), from a reasonably sized wallet to a phone, keys, lipstick, etc., yet it’s small enough to fit in the crook of your arm.

While the size may be big for formal events, I think this is a great option for a daytime clutch or for casual events. I personally am very intrigued and would like to add one to my collection.

What do you think about this size and design? I’d love to hear from people who own this bag: let us know how you are enjoying it!