Hermès Kelly Pochette in Ostrich
The Kelly Pochette is the smallest bag in the Kelly family, carried by its short top handle, and it comes in a single size. It is held here in ostrich, in the colours below. Choose a colour to see it.
Tell us the colour you want and you are told what is in hand, and which hardware it carries.GATE 5, the city this piece is held in
Colours held
Kelly Pochette, ostrich
Colourway KP-OS-01
- Model
- Kelly Pochette, one size
- Material
- Ostrich
- Carried
- In the hand, on the short top handle
- Shoulder strap
- None
This piece in detail
| Catalogue reference | GATE 19, the catalogue reference |
|---|---|
| Model | Kelly Pochette |
| Material | Ostrich |
| Colour | Choose a colour aboveGATE 18, the colour names for all sixteen colourways, read from the stamp or paperwork |
| Hardware | GATE, NEW: which hardware finish each colourway carries. Gold and palladium both appear in the photography |
| Blind stamp | GATE 20, the letter, any shape, and the year it gives |
| Condition | GATE 9, the grade name, once the grade definitions exist |
| Accompanied by | GATE 21, box, dust bag, clochette, lock, keys, rain cover, receipt. Anything absent is written as absent, not omitted |
| Held in | GATE 5, the city |
| Price | On request |
What a Kelly Pochette is, and who it suits
The Kelly Pochette is the Kelly reduced to a flat evening bag, about 22 centimetres across, carried by a short top handle. It has the Kelly flap, the two straps and the turn, and it has no shoulder strap, so it is carried in the hand.
It holds a phone, a card case and a lipstick, and not much more. It suits an evening, or an occasion where a Kelly 25 is more bag than the night needs. It is one size, which is why no number follows the name.
What ostrich leather is, and how it wears
The bumps on ostrich leather are follicles, the points where the bird's plumes were rooted, and they are the reason the skin costs what it does. They are concentrated on the central panel of the hide, which the trade calls the crown, and it is the smallest and most expensive part of the skin. The rest of the hide is smooth or carries much smaller follicles, and ostrich leg, despite the name, has no bumps at all and looks almost reptilian.
Because only the crown carries the full pattern, a small bag cut entirely from crown uses a disproportionate share of a hide. That is the cost, and it is also why follicle size and spacing vary across a genuine piece rather than repeating.
Ostrich is naturally oil-rich, so it resists drying and cracking better than most leathers and it darkens slowly into a patina. It is water-resistant and not waterproof. It needs conditioning less than a dry calf leather does, and it wants a light product rather than a heavy wax or anything petroleum-based, which can darken the follicles unevenly.
How this piece was checked before it was listed
This piece was checked against the same five tests as every piece listed here: stamp and date code, leather and grain, saddle stitching, hardware and touret, and condition. A piece that fails any one of them goes back to the seller.
One of those five runs differently on an exotic skin. Calf is read on grain. Ostrich is read on the follicles: their size, how spacing changes across the panel, whether each one sits in the skin rather than on it, and whether the pattern repeats anywhere, because a repeat is an embossed print and not a hide.
GATE 1, who performed these tests, their name and one line of real background, plus written confirmation that the ostrich method above is what they actually did
These five tests are a physical examination by a named person. They are not a Hermès authentication. Hermès does not authenticate pieces sold outside its own channels and issues no certificate to a reseller. If a piece sold here is later shown not to be genuine,GATE 2, the refund or guarantee terms
Travelling with an ostrich bag across borders
Crocodile, alligator and lizard need CITES documentation to cross a border. Ostrich is treated differently in most places, because commercial ostrich leather comes from farmed birds rather than wild-caught animals.
That is the mechanism, not a clearance. We are not able to tell you what your own route requires, the rules differ by country, and a pre-owned buyer carries their own paperwork rather than inheriting the first owner's. Before you travel with this bag, check the requirements for your route and ask us what documentation we hold for this piece.GATE 7, whether an origin letter or any documentation came with this piece
Seeing this piece before you pay
You can hold this bag before any money changes hands. Tell us where you are and a representative brings it to you, you take as long as you want with it, and you may bring your own authenticator. If it is not right when you see it, nothing is owed and we leave.
Photographs and video of this exact piece are sent before anyone travels.
Questions about this piece
Is this bag authentic?
It was checked against five physical tests before listing, including an ostrich-specific reading of the follicles, and a piece that fails any one of them is not listed. Hermès itself authenticates nothing sold outside its own channels, so no dealer can offer you a Hermès certificate. You can also inspect it yourself before paying.
Does an ostrich bag need a CITES permit?
Ostrich is treated differently from crocodile, alligator and lizard, which need CITES documentation to cross a border, because commercial ostrich leather comes from farmed birds. That is the mechanism and not a clearance for your route. Check what your own country requires, and ask us what documentation we hold for this piece.
What size is a Kelly Pochette?
About 22 centimetres across. It comes in one size, which is why no number follows the name. It holds a phone, a card case and a little else, and it is carried by its short top handle rather than on the shoulder.
How do I look after ostrich leather?
Light conditioning, and less of it than a dry calf leather needs. Nothing petroleum-based or heavily waxed, which can darken the follicles unevenly. Keep it out of standing water and direct sun. Ostrich is oil-rich, so it resists drying and cracking better than most skins.
Why is the price on request?
Because the price of a pre-owned piece is set by that one piece. Colour, condition, hardware, the completeness of what came with it and the skin itself all move it, and a published figure would be wrong for almost every bag we list.
Can I buy it without seeing it?
You can, but we would rather you did not. The whole arrangement here is that a representative brings the piece to you and you decide with it in your hands. Nothing is paid until you have said yes to this specific bag.
More from the Kelly family
This is the only Kelly-family piece held at the moment. If you are looking for a Kelly 25, 28 or 32, tell us the size, construction, leather and hardware you want and we will tell you honestly whether it can be found.GATE 17, what can actually be sourced, in which sizes and leathers, in what timeframe