How Easy to Store/Access Items In/Out of A Kelly

Oct 17, 2006
1,770
453
I am new to Hermes, and am planning to get my first Hermes bag, either a Birkin or a Kelly. Judging on the handle/opening design, I think the Birkin is better. With a Birkin, I can leave the bag open all the time by keeping the front flap inside the bag. This way, I can take my wallet and cell phone in and out of the bag at will. However, with the Kelly, I have to keep it closed and locked in order to carry it by the handle, thus making it very inconvenient to shop. Am I right?

Please convince me that I am wrong, because the Kelly looks so elegant.
 
I have said it before and I will say it again...

the Kelly is elegant, but it is a "take your time kind of bag". You can't get it in and out fast. It is as if you need to enjoy the bag when you use it. The birkin would be the better option if you want quick access all the time. I do not like to leave my Kelly opened...I feel it stresses the top of the bag.

I do love Kellys though....you just have to be willing to use them with care and take your time...you know...slow the pace of your life down a bit!
 
You have reached Roses' cellphone. I am now resting in her Kelly. Pease leave a message and Rose will get back to you the next time she absolutely has to open her Kelly..........
 
I LOVE the look of Kelly:heart: ! Kelly is such a beautiful bag!!! However, I don't get along with Kelly:sad: ! It drives me nuts to deal with opening and closing each time using Kelly. I get left behind of all my friends when I go out with them to close my bag if I open Kelly to buy something...:hysteric: !

Hmmmm...clemance shoulder Birkin is WAY too easy access....I lost my car key...it just fell out of my bag:crybaby: . Clemance is very slouchy leather and shoulder birkin opening is wide...So, my car key just decided to jump out of the bag!
 
You have reached Roses' cellphone. I am now resting in her Kelly. Pease leave a message and Rose will get back to you the next time she absolutely has to open her Kelly..........

HAHAHAHAH! That's so funny! It does take time to get the Kelly open, but it gets MUCH easier/quicker with practice. With my Birkin 35, I'm forever rooting around trying to find the phone, since it doesn't fit well in either of the pockets (the Kelly's front pockets are perfect for it).
 
I have said it before and I will say it again...

the Kelly is elegant, but it is a "take your time kind of bag". You can't get it in and out fast. It is as if you need to enjoy the bag when you use it. The birkin would be the better option if you want quick access all the time. I do not like to leave my Kelly opened...I feel it stresses the top of the bag.

I do love Kellys though....you just have to be willing to use them with care and take your time...you know...slow the pace of your life down a bit!

Couldn't have said it any better. The Kelly is such a French kind of bag.
 
I love Kelly.. absolutely love it!! Cant wait to get one.. waiting for the "right" Kelly to come along!! I think if u love it, u'll get used to it very quickly.. also u dont have to use it when u go shopping and have to open it every 30minutes or so... ok Aspen? LOL.. If u had ur kelly u wouldn't have lost ur keys!!!
 
I actually have gotten pretty good at opening and closing my Kelly quickly. Maybe it's easier because she is clemence, but I really don't find it cumbersome. The Birkin is another story. I haven't had it that long but you definitely need to leave it open while shopping. It's not easy to open and close that's for sure. I am still trying to get used to leaving it open. I'm always preoccupied that someone is going to steal my wallet.:shame:
 
You know, maybe most of me is old and slow but my hands are quick as a rabbit!

I can open my Kelly, access it's contents, and latch it back in a heartbeat...... almost:cutesy:

I don't latch the two straps, tho, they rest underneath the flap. In fact, sometimes I leave the straps latched underneath the top flap and sometimes I latch one strap and leave the other dangling lady-like out from under the strap. Other times Kelly just lets it all hang out with both straps peeping out from under the flap.

She can get a bit wild, depending on her mood:P But, she's definitely worth the time ( and slight inconvenience only ) to have her company.
 
Okay, I am half convinced about overlooking the inconvenience of acccessing items from the bag, for the sake of looking beautiful and elegant.

What about the stress on the handle connection and the leather around the lock? I mean, if you put a lot of heavy stuffs in the Kelly, will the weight put much stress on the hande connection and the leather around the lock as you carry the bag (by its handle)?

I ask these questions, because I had a LV Beverly which has a similar design. The leather buckle is worse in the LV bag, because you tend to wear out the thin leather strap as you thread and unthread it. In addition, as you lift the bag, the top of the bag tends to separate from the rest of the bag body, leaving a big gap. Due to these negatives, I got rid of my Beverly fast. The Kelly is slightly better in that the opening is via a relatively more durable metal lock rather than a flimsy, narrow leather strap. As for lifting all that weight, I guess the problem would be worse in a larger size Kelly. Am I correct?

I guess the Kelly was originally designed years ago. Back then, the designer did not think that we ladies would need to carry so much in our bag. In addition to cosmetics, we now have to carry heavy wallets (with credit cards, driver license, etc.), cell phone or blackberry, iPod, digital camera, stationary (agenda) and etc. (mint, medicine). The only item that most of us no longer carry is a checkbook.