My love affair with Mini Bags
Ever since I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of luxury bags, Mini Bags have comprised an essential part of my collection.
To date, some Mini Bags I’ve written about include: My Lady Dior (mini size), the Hermes Constance 18, the Chanel Wallet on Chain, and two other Saint Laurent bags – the Lou Mini Camera Bag and Velvet Toy Lou Lou.
It is also a personal failing that every now and then, I possess bags that I absolutely fail to write about. This is one of them.
So, it isn’t any surprise, really, that in my collection – I also own the Saint Laurent WOC (Wallet on Chain).
Saint Laurent Wallet on Chain – also fondly known as YSL WOC for short
Saint Laurent Wallet on Chain
Officially, the bag is named the Cassandre Chain matelassé textured-leather (or grain de poudre, depending on where you shop) wallet.
It’s measurements are as follows:
- Depth: 5cm / 2in
- Max. Strap Length: 106cm / 41.7in
- Height: 15cm / 5.9in
- Width: 22.5cm / 8.9in
Saint Laurent WOC – with chain removed
Personally, I know a handful of ladies who own this bag too. And one thing we agree on – we love the very iconic and modern chevron quilting on this bag.
Back view
The bag comes with a detachable chain, which can be attached and detached by threading through the designated chain hoops and closing it via two little button snaps.
Two little hoops – where the chain goes
Thread chain through the hoops
For those who have way too many cards, this is the bag for you. There’s a whopping 20 card slots in this beast.
20 card slots
Not to mention, a zipped compartment, and two little ‘pockets’ – these are pefect for stashing receipts and for hiding love letters.
Slotting in the back pocket
Slotting in the front pocket
What fits in the Saint Laurent WOC
x1 Chanel Mini O Case, x1 lipstick, x1 key holder, x2 card holders.
And of course, 20 cards (not shown below).
What fits in the Saint Laurent WOC
Let’s start of with the basics: 20 cards.
Sometimes I forget what card goes where
Then, the lipstick. The ‘tightness’ is perfect for a large lipstick; it actually stays in place and doesn’t wander.
Lipstick on bottom right
Next up: a happy trio.
Two Cardholders. One Keyholder.
In goes the keyholder.
Right next to the lipstick
Then, the two card holders.
Two card holders. Because sometimes, 20 card slots ain’t enough. Lol.
And then, the Chanel O Case.
Things that contain other things
By now, the mini bag looks thoroughly stuffed.
Everything is in
But fret not, it actually stuffs REALLY well.
If the bag is new, it may be a little stiff and loosen ever so slightly… actually screw that thought, the bag remains mostly firm despite using it for a few years.
This is as stuffed as it gets, after the snap button closure.
Mod Shots
For reference, I am short. I am 154cm tall, or a little over 5 feet.
As a mom of two kids, I prefer to be as hands-free as possible, and typically carry the bag as a crossbody.
Crossbody
It also looks good as a shoulder bag.
Despite the chain being metal, it is generally comfortable to wear; the chain has a good weight to it without being too heavy, and the strap does not easily slide off the shoulders.
Shoulder Bag
It is also possible to turn this into an underarm bag – shorten the chain by looping around the fold. I don’t usually do this, but hey, the option is there.
Looped chain
Alternatively, remove the chain completely (or hide it inside the bag), and you get a clutch.
(I know, the evening-style clutch looks out of place with my casual wear, but this is just a reference point).
Handheld
Overall Pros and Cons
Pros of the Saint Laurent WOC
- The pebbled leather version is highly scratch-resistant.
- Versatile: use as a clutch without the chain; multiple chain lengths are possible by looping around the fold.
- Comes in a variety of colours, including classic neutral colours (e.g. black, beige) and the occasional seasonal colour.
- As far as luxury goes (At the time of writing, it currently retails for SGD2,260 in Singapore) the pricing is considered “entry level”.
- Built-in 20 card slots. Holds a ton. Stuffs well without getting out of shape.
- For those who do not require 20 card slots, there is a slightly cheaper, 6-card version.
A wallet? No… it’s a Wallet on Chain, without the Chain
Cons of the Saint Laurent WOC
- Only for the 20 card slot version: now this feature is amazing… IF you are extremely organized. But anything less and it’s a nightmare – if I use all 20 card slots, I don’t actually remember which card goes where. I have experienced the unncessary panic of searching for a card I’ve lost, in all 20 slots, and gosh was it painful. In real life, I RARELY use it all – my slots only carry the barely-used cards, and the more commonly-used cards still go into a cardholder. So this feature could be one of those features that seem awesome in print but user-unfriendly in real life. To each his own, but I consider the bag too expensive / luxurious to simply be rendered as a glorified Card Storage. If you love this bag but find 20 card slots too much, get the 6 card version.
- Extremely poor resale value. As far as resale value goes, expect to lose around 75% (give or take 10%) of what you paid for.
- As it is considered “entry level”, this bag may be more ubiquitous than WOCs of other fashion houses. Again, it matters only if one cares about how commonplace a bag is.
Hope this helps anyone who’s thinking of getting the bag.
Mini Bag. With other mini implements.
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