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“Mr Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema,” American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly once declared of the famed Academy Award-winning director, having starred in three of his blockbuster films consecutively. But it was on her third and final film in 1955 with the acclaimed Hollywood director, To Catch a Thief, which would unexpectedly birth an icon amongst the fashion world for decades to come. Of course, it’s none other than the Hermès Kelly bag.
Formerly known as the Petit Sac à Courroies, costume designer for the Hitchcock-directed film Edith Head had Kelly carry the bag during production of the film, which she ended up loving so much that it became a staple for her. Ironically, this came at the same time she struck up a relationship with Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She was often caught by the paparazzi with the Hermès Petit Sac à Courroies with the prince, whom she eventually wed in 1956, leaving behind the world of Hollywood. Not only was Princess Grace of Monaco born, inadvertently so was the Kelly bag, although it wasn’t officially renamed to its now iconic moniker in 1977.
Fast-forward some seven decades, the Kelly bag has been reimagined into an emblematic high jewellery collection – Kellymorphose.
Designed by Pierre Hardy, the creative force behind Hermès’ fine jewellery, Kellymorphose is a celebration of transformation, where the structural elegance of the Kelly bag is immortalised in precious metals and shimmering gemstones. Each piece in the Kellymorphose collection pays homage to the signature elements of the handbag: the sleek trapezoidal shape, the polished turn-lock clasp and the iconic padlock. These motifs are deconstructed and reimagined, morphing into intricate necklaces, bold bracelets and sculptural rings. The result? A harmonious fusion of heritage and modernity – a collection that embodies the timeless sophistication of Hermès while pushing the boundaries of contemporary jewellery design, which was Hardy’s exact goal from the beginning.
“I always tried to keep it as it is – to not touch it or to touch it as little as possible and to keep the real proportion, the real placement of the four little studs on the surface of the middle, to let it be recognised [when you] first look at it,” Hardy tells GRAZIA. “There is a big part of respect. Absolute respect for the original object [the Kelly bag].” For him, the pieces in the Kellymorphose collection are like “a transcription in another language”.
The collection’s name itself, Kellymorphose, a sense of evolution, of transformation, where the world of leather craftsmanship seamlessly transitions into the realm of haute joaillerie. This metamorphosis is evident in the way Hardy plays with volume and proportion, crafting pieces that are both architectural and fluid, structured yet ethereal. The interplay between gold, diamonds, and negative space creates a dynamic contrast, capturing the essence of the Kelly bag’s timeless silhouette while infusing it with a fresh, modern spirit.
“It’s like a translation and using stone instead of metal instead of leather,” Hardy continues. “It’s like a transposition in another mode. But even changing scale I always try to keep the proportion as exact as the original reference piece.”
While the Kellymorphose collection is certainly a marker of the evolution of the Kelly bag from its inception in the 1930s to present day, Hardy also believes it’s an entity which, when you see it, could have existed for years. “The thing is… the funny thing is that it didn’t exist before,” he affirms with a chuckle.
But how exactly do you go about deconstructing such a structured, obdurate and iconic piece. For Hardy, that was the “fun of the job”, namely using his “intuition”.
“Thinking about this shape was to transform this rigid and quite minimalist piece of metal with a piece of leather into something very feminine, very precious and very sophisticated,” he says. “That was a game for me that was interesting to list, to move from one world to another.”
“A big part of my job is to draw before designing, because the design comes after when the project and the shape are almost okay. Because after that is more the technical, mechanical proportion, all these constraints about the making that can interfere,” Hardy explains, adding he always aims to stay “as close as possible to the original drawing”.
For the design, it was about taking it back to basics. Dissecting an emblematic piece into its mechanics and technicalities and changing its proportion and size and combining it with something else. “It’s a very simple game, but you can combine it many, many different ways,” Hardy declares.
One such standout creation amongst the collection is the Kelly Gavroche necklace, a breathtaking piece where the turn-lock mechanism transforms into a striking pendant, delicately suspended from a fluid cascade of diamonds – 1,771 to be precise, totalling 74.32 carats. Meanwhile, the Chaine d’Ancre links, another hallmark of Hermès, weave their way into cuffs and chokers, adding a sense of bold refinement. Or take the Kelly Clochette earrings which echo the elegance of the bag’s key holder, rendered in white gold and pavé diamonds, exuding an effortless allure.
From a simple bag structure, it’s been deconstructed into so many different pieces and reimagined in ways that seem so effortless, yet inspiring at the same time. But, as Hardy explains, that’s at the essence of Hermes as a Maison.
“That’s the thing about the story of Hermes – it’s a plural. It’s not just stories about jewellery. It’s stories about the silk, stories about the equestrian, stories about the bags, stories about the house – there are so many different stories that can inspire me,” he highlights. “I can take something and transform it into a dream, but in this field, the range of stories is so open that it’s never-ending, actually. It’s never-ending.”
The creations from the Kellymorphose collection are akin to carrying a fragment of fashion history, just reconceptualised in gold and diamonds. It is a statement of elegance, a nod to the Maison’s heritage, and a celebration of transformation. Much like the Kelly bag itself, these jewels transcend time and trend, destined to be cherished as modern heirlooms. “I think it’s very related for Hermes to exist through jewellery because it’s the deep values of the object and then durability, this out-of-time notion. This transmission of the object that you can keep for your entire life and then give to another life is never-ending,” says Hardy.
Beyond aesthetics, Kellymorphose is a tribute to savoir-faire. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted, adhering to the same principles of precision and artistry that define Hermès. The attention to detail – whether in the flawless pavé settings or the seamless articulation of gold links – echoes the craftsmanship that has made the Kelly bag, and now the Kellymorphose collection, an enduring icon of luxury.
What began as an affinity for the Petit Sac à Courroies in the 1950s for Academy Award winner Grace Kelly, transcends beyond the norm. If only Kelly herself were here to see what such an enduring icon has become.
