Sandra‘s Closet

The padlock-shaped Kelly watch appears in a whole new light expressing its free-spirited attitude.

On a slender metal bracelet, set with diamonds or worn as a sautoir, the Kelly watch born in 1975, is reinvented in a light- hearted way. This mischievious, daring and fashionable jewellery watch reveals new facets of its femininity in motion. Inspired by the emblematic handbag designed by Robert Dumas in the 1930s, its ideally sized padlock case lends itself to new ways of being worn. The clean-cut lines and original gemsetting approaches reaffirm the rigorous yet playful style of this Hermès watchmaking icon.

An elegant rose gold or steel bracelet composed of elaborate metalwork embraces the wrist in a delightfully companionable manner. Its links pick up the design of the legendary four-studded clasp serving to secure and open the padlock.

Adorned with diamonds or fine regular striations, the case beautifully frames a dial in natural white mother-of-pearl on the rose gold models and in spangled white lacquer on the steel models. The gemset watches feature a diamond at 12 o’clock, matched by studded hour-markers, echoing the decoration on the clasp. The distinctively daring Kelly watch plays with complete freedom on its pluralistic nature.

I am completely obsessed with this watch and had to share it with you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hermès
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In the 1930s, Robert Dumas, son-in-law of Émile Hermès, whom he succeeded at the head of Hermès (1951-1978), created the women’s bag with straps. He designed a trapezoid shape with two triangular gussets, a cutout flap, a handle and two side straps, and with it he brought the house into the era of boldness and modernism.

In the late 1950s, legend has it that Grace Kelly, a Hollywood star turned princess of Monaco, was photographed holding the bag over her stomach to conceal the early signs of her pregnancy.
The bag shot to international fame and was renamed the Kelly.

The Kelly bag comes in different sizes and styles (like the Kelly Pochette or Kelly Ado for example), offering different aesthetics. There is no «right» size or shape. Although right now smaller bags are the rage, the size for you is the size you choose.

Recently, I have added a Kelly Danse to my Hermès collection. Originally released in 2007 by Jean-Paul Gaultier, who was at the helmet of Hermès at that time, Kelly Danse is a more casual and multi-functional version of the iconic Hermès Kelly. Without the top handle, and with a long strap, you can wear it seven different ways: around the waist, as a crossbody bag, a shoulder bag at two different lengths, as a wristlet, a clutch and even as a backpack!

Danse means dance in French. The idea behind its creation was to attract a younger audience: young ladies who like to dance while having their hands free. Kelly Danse was a revolutionary design for the brand. However, it was discontinued in 2013 because the shape was too «advanced» and fashion-forward. Comfortable cross-body bags were not so trendy at that time.

However, as it often happens, after the bag has been discontinued, the bag has quickly turned into a rare collector’s item and was re-introduced in 2019. Known today as the Kelly Danse II, the bag is around 22 cm in length and 17 cm in height. In terms of dimensions, the Kelly Danse II is very similar to its predecessor.

I chose my Kelly Danse II in Verso Blush/Rose Jaipur Evercolor leather (a leather that is very resilient to wear and tear) with silver hardware and love it, as it is without a doubt, the most versatile of all Hermès bags.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: AP, Courtesy of Hermès, © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored. I own and love this bag!

The Nantucket watch has been forming solid attachments for almost 30 years. Its story, all about links, began in 1991, when iconoclastic Hermès designer Henri d’Origny boldly sketched the outlines of a companion to the Cape Cod watch, an equally distinctive model named Nantucket.

This assertive timepiece featured a «rectangle within a rectangle», forming an unprecedented case inspired by the anchor chain links of the Chaîne d’ancre bracelet, an Hermès classic imagined by Robert Dumas in 1938.

Nantucket’s story continues today with the Chaîne d’ancre, evoking its early days. This model offers a new take on the iconic link, which merges seamlessly into a light and supple steel or rose gold bracelet. The faithful hours and minutes hands sweep over numerals whose font is also inspired by
the Chaîne d’ancre universe.

The case of the Nantucket is crafted from gold or steel in the Hermès watchmaking workshops, and freely adorned with diamonds. Light plays across the sandblasted silver-plated dial itself thanks to a sprinkle setting, or sparkles brightly in a jewellery setting around a mother-of-pearl dial. With a light and natural touch, Nantucket interweaves its own codes of rebellious elegance.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hermès