Size comparison
Hermès Kelly 25 vs 28: size, capacity and which to carry
The Kelly 25 is 25 x 19 x 9 cm and the Kelly 28 is 28 x 22 x 10 cm: 3 cm wider, 3 cm taller and 1 cm deeper, taking the box from 4,275 cm³ to 6,160 cm³. The 25 is the day-to-evening size; the 28 is the one that takes a wallet, a phone and a pouch without rearranging anything.
The Kelly is a structured bag with a single top handle, a flap and a shoulder strap that tucks inside, so both tiers behave much the same way in the hand — what changes is how much has to be taken out before the flap closes. The 25 and the 28 are the two most-compared sizes because the step between them is the smallest one in the range.
The published record this site uses is 25 x 19 x 9 cm for the Kelly 25 and 28 x 22 x 10 cm for the Kelly 28, read as width x height x depth. Both come from the dedicated Kelly size guide; where an older comparison page on this site prints a second line for the same tier, the family ladder prints both rather than choosing silently.
Both sides of this comparison are published figures from the same records the model pages use, so the centimetres here and the centimetres there cannot disagree.
Hermès Kelly 25 vs Hermès Kelly 28: published sizes side by side
The two tiers in published centimetres, converted to inches, with the difference between them.
| Measurement | Hermès Kelly 25 | Hermès Kelly 28 | Difference (A → B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 25 cm / 9.8 in | 28 cm / 11.0 in | +3 cm / +1.2 in wider |
| Height | 19 cm / 7.5 in | 22 cm / 8.7 in | +3 cm / +1.2 in taller |
| Depth | 9 cm / 3.5 in | 10 cm / 3.9 in | +1 cm / +0.4 in deeper |
| Box volume (derived) | 4,275 cm³ | 6,160 cm³ | +1,885 cm³ (+44%) |
| What the figure says fits | A compact everyday bag: phone, wallet, keys and a small pouch. | The classic mid-size: adds height and depth rather than width to the 25. | see the capacity section below |
Inches are the same centimetres divided by 2.54 and rounded to one decimal, exactly as on the model pages, so no page on this site carries a second set of inch values. Box volume is arithmetic on the three published figures (width × height × depth) — it is a scale comparison, not a published capacity rating, because a rounded or slouched body never fills its own box.
Capacity: what fits in each one
One centimetre of depth sounds like nothing, but on a shaped body it decides whether the flap closes flat or sits proud of the front.
In the 25, the essentials arrive one at a time: a phone, a card holder, keys, a lipstick, and a compact if the card holder is flat. Depth, not width, is what stops more than that — at 9 cm the body has no room for a wallet and a phone to sit beside each other once the flap has to close over both.
The 28 buys three centimetres of width, three of height and one of depth, and the result is a different daily routine. A long wallet, a phone, keys, a compact and a small pouch all fit with the flap closing flat, and the extra height means nothing has to be angled in through the opening. It is the tier buyers arrive at when the 25 turns out to be a bag they have to repack.
Hermès Kelly 25: what people carry
- A phone, a card holder and keys as the standard daily set
- A compact and a lipstick in the remaining corners of the base
- A slim wallet only if the phone moves to a slip pocket
- Carried by the top handle, with the tuck-in strap available when hands are full
Published fit note: A compact everyday bag: phone, wallet, keys and a small pouch.
Hermès Kelly 28: what people carry
- A long wallet beside the phone with the flap still closing flat
- Keys, a compact and a lipstick without any of them being stacked
- A small pouch or a folded scarf across the remaining width
- A slim tablet in a sleeve if the wallet stays short
Published fit note: The classic mid-size: adds height and depth rather than width to the 25.
The two lists above describe how the sizes are carried in practice; the fit notes are the published descriptions that travel with the millimetres in the size records.
Which one suits which buyer
There is no height rule for these two — the same three centimetres decide whether the bag has to be emptied to be closed.
Buyers who choose the 25 usually want a bag that stays out of the way: it hangs close under the arm, it holds the essentials for a day that is mostly spent standing, and it moves to an evening without looking like luggage. The trade is that anything extra has to be carried elsewhere, which is why so many owners of a 25 also own a second, larger bag.
The 28 is for buyers who do not want that trade. The load is a wallet-based one, the flap closes over it cleanly, and the proportions still read as a Kelly rather than a tote. Buyers who travel with the bag or who move between a meeting and a dinner tend to be happier here, because the extra height keeps the opening clear while the bag is being packed.
Choose the Hermès Kelly 25 if…
- Your daily set is a phone, a card holder and keys
- You want the smaller, closer carry under the arm
- The bag is one of several rather than the only one you own
- You like the proportion of a compact structured top-handle bag
Choose the Hermès Kelly 28 if…
- You carry a long wallet as well as a phone
- You want the flap to close flat without taking anything out
- You need one bag that covers a full day away from home
- You would rather size up than keep a second bag for the same load
Questions buyers ask about the Hermès Kelly 25 and the Hermès Kelly 28
Is the Kelly 28 much bigger than the Kelly 25 in person?
Three centimetres in width and height and one in depth: 25 x 19 x 9 cm against 28 x 22 x 10 cm. The difference looks small on a chart and obvious in the hand, because the extra centimetre of depth is what lets the flap close over a wallet and a phone together.
Which Kelly size is better for evening use?
The 25. It carries the evening essentials — phone, card holder, keys, lipstick — while keeping the compact silhouette that suits a structured bag after dark. The 28 also works, but the extra height makes it read as a daytime handbag first.
Do both sizes come with the shoulder strap?
Both tiers are published with a strap that tucks inside the body, which is how the bag converts from top-handle to shoulder carry. What differs is only the size of the bag itself, so the two do not behave differently on the shoulder once the strap is out.
Why does one page on this site print a different figure for the Kelly 25?
Because two published records for the same tier differ by a centimetre. The dedicated Kelly guide and this comparison use 25 x 19 x 9 cm; our Birkin-and-Kelly comparison page prints 25 x 18 x 10 cm. Both are recorded on the family ladder rather than one being averaged away, and the dedicated guide is the one used for the figures here.
How do I check which of the two sizes a listing is?
Ask for the bag measured flat, then compare with 25 x 19 x 9 cm or 28 x 22 x 10 cm. Because the tier names sit so close together in size, the measurement photo is more reliable than the word used in the listing title, and the album reference ties the photo to one piece.
Album photos at these sizes
Both tiers appear in photo records on this site; each photo below says which bag it is. Photos are album records for the model named in the caption, so nothing here is passed off as the other size.
Where these figures come from
Row by row, this is the record each centimetre comes from, and the model page that publishes the same figure.
| Tier | Figure on this page | Source record | Model page (same figure) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hermès Kelly 25 | 25 x 19 x 9 cm | hermes-mini-kelly-size-guide | Hermès Kelly 25 |
| Hermès Kelly 28 | 28 x 22 x 10 cm | hermes-mini-kelly-size-guide | No dedicated model page yet — the tier figures live in the family record above. |
- Hermès Kelly 25: this page prints 25 x 19 x 9 cm; the model page publishes 25 x 19 x 9 cm.
- Hermès Kelly 28: no dedicated model page yet, so the family record is the only published figure for this tier.
Inch values are converted from these centimetres; nothing on this page is a measured sample, an average of two records, or a rounded figure from a listing title. Where a family record carries two published values for the same tier, both are printed on the family ladder rather than one being averaged away.
Model pages and guides for these two sizes
- Hermès Kelly 25 The model page for this tier: 25 x 19 x 9 cm.
- Hermès Kelly 28 record No dedicated page for this tier yet; its figures are published in the record linked here.
- hermes-mini-kelly-size-guide The size table the Hermès Kelly 25 and Hermès Kelly 28 figures on this page are quoted from.
- hermes mini kelly size guide Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- hermes birkin vs kelly Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- what is a birkin Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 Another published record at a comparable size — 25 x 19 x 15 cm.
- Louis Vuitton Pochette Métis Another published record at a comparable size — 25 x 19 x 9 cm.
- Chanel Classic Flap Medium Another published record at a comparable size — 25.5 x 16 x 7.5 cm.
- Every model size comparison on this site The full list of side-by-side comparisons, grouped by house.
- Fashion Bags Catalog — Latest Styles & Brand Collections The bag catalog these models come from.
Still deciding between the two?
Send us the tier you are considering and we will match it against the current catalog, with the measurement photos and the body shots that show how the two sizes sit when they are carried.
Figures last checked 2026-09-24 against Kelly family record and the model pages linked above. This page describes published proportions and photo records only; it is not a statement about stock, price, condition or delivery.