If Hailey Bieber were to open up her home and give us a Kris Jenner-style wardrobe tour, we imagine instead of cases of Birkin bags, it would look like a Saint Laurent showroom. The model, who has fronted a number of campaigns for the Parisian house, is often spotted with a Le 5 à 7 bag nestled under her arm, however it’s hard to think of a style of Saint Laurent bag that she hasn’t been photographed with.
Read more: The Best Everyday Handbags, According To Vogue Editors
When it comes to luxury handbags, if you are concerned about longevity, Saint Laurent is a wise investment. Instead of churning out flash-in-the-pan It-bags, the design team delivers timeless elegance and stays loyal to the house’s heritage codes. Instead of vibrant colours or unusual shapes, the creative director Anthony Vaccarello sticks to a muted colour palette and functional handbag silhouettes, such as top-handle totes, envelope clutches and crossbody bags.
This focus on timeless design is reflected in the celebrities who are often spotted with a Saint Laurent bag. Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen and Zoë Kravitz – the “quiet luxury” brigade – are all avid Saint Laurent collectors. The offering remains fairly consistent each year, as the strategy is to build upon existing classics, and regularly introduce new twists on best-selling favourites. Focusing on the brand’s bread and butter silhouettes is a clever way of countering It-bag fatigue, however that doesn’t mean there is any shortage of newness, either. It’s just that Anthony Vaccarello has a clever knack for making all of his new bags (such as the Calypso and Le 37) look like they have been part of the Saint Laurent roster for years already.
Saint Laurent’s handbags, in brief:
- Le 5 à 7 Bea
- Le 5 à 7 shoulder bag
- Le 5 à 7 Supple
- Jamie
- Rive Gauche canvas tote
- Le 37
- Kate
- Calypso
- Manhattan
- Loulou
Saint Laurent was named as the fifth hottest brand in Lyst’s Index for Q1 2024, which is the first time it has ever been listed within the top five. Searches for its products increased by 10 per cent within a month of the Paris Fashion Week show and the report highlights that the Le 5 à 7 bags are an influential factor in its soaring popularity. Net-A-Porter has also seen a 203 per cent increase in searches for Saint Laurent bags in the last 12 months – the Bea bag (the latest addition to the Le 5 à 7 family), has in the last three months had a 300 per cent spike in searches, while its sister bag, the Supple, has increased by 150 per cent.
Keep reading for your comprehensive guide to buying a Saint Laurent bag.
Le 5 à 7 Shoulder Bag
Le 5 à 7 bags first launched in the spring/summer 2021 collection, and was named after Agnès Varda’s film Cléo from 5 to 7, which is one of Anthony Vaccarello’s favourites. The leather shoulder bag has a sleek, streamlined silhouette, with the YSL hardware logo as a clasp, and has become a style signature of Hailey Bieber, Laura Harrier and Zoë Kravitz.
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Le 5 à 7 Bea
The Bea is a new addition to the Le 5 à 7 family and Net-A-Porter shares that this is one of its trending Saint Laurent bags this year, with searches up 300 per cent in the last three months. It has an oversized shape, making it ideal for the office or travelling, and like all Le 5 à 7 designs has a gold Cassandre logo as the clasp.
Le 5 à 7 Supple
The Supple is the ultimate everyday shoulder bag, made from finely grained leather and with a handy adjustable strap. The large version in green is trending on Net-A-Porter right now, however black, white, tan and camel versions are equally beautiful. This iteration of the house’s Le 5 à 7 has an impressive celebrity fan club, as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Laura Harrier, Hailey Bieber and more have all been spotted carrying it recently.
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Jamie 4.3
The Jamie 4.3 was included in the spring/summer 2023 collection, which is a reworking of the original Jamie which was released back in 2018 and named after the model Jamie Bochert. The 4.3 is a supersized flap bag with a gold chain and the house’s Carré Rive Gauche quilted motif.
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Rive Gauche
This is Saint Laurent’s take on a logo-adorned beach bag and often accompanies Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on her jaunts in the Med.
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Le 37
The Le 37 is one of the newer launches from Saint Laurent, as the leather bucket bag was first introduced in summer 2023, with the house selecting Blackpink’s Rose to front the accompanying campaign. It has neat proportions and practical touches, with a top handle strap and a removable shoulder strap,
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Kate
Saint Laurent is known for its elegant envelope clutch bags, and the Kate bag is one of its most beloved styles. It has a simple, rectangular shape, however the YSL logo, chain strap and tassel detail are striking design details that are intrinsically Saint Laurent.
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Calypso
The Calypso is another new addition to the Saint Laurent line-up, as it was first included in the spring/summer 2023 collection. It has many of the house’s signatures, including an envelope flap, chain strap and Cassandre logo clasp, while the lambskin leather and light padding gives it a beautiful softness.
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Manhattan
The Manhattan is Saint Laurent’s answer to the Birkin, with an elegant, structured silhouette that is the epitome of Park Avenue style. It was introduced by Vaccarello in 2019 and while it might not be as easily identifiable as a Le 5 à 7 or a Kate, that is part of its timeless appeal.
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Loulou
This shoulder bag is named after Loulou de la Falaise, the muse of Yves Saint Laurent who started working with him in the atelier in Paris in the ’70s. It is one of the house’s most-loved styles, with an envelope shape and chevron quilting, and is one of the designer handbags with the highest resale value in 2024.
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