I purchased my Saint Laurent Toy Loulou back at the end of 2020 for under $1000.00USD on sale.
This bag has made my top list of bags for the season a few times. But I have yet to do a dedicated blog reviewing this piece– much to my shame.
The Loulou bags from Saint Laurent in general has been a popular choice for many bag and fashion enthusiastic, because of its practical design, accessibility and entry level price point (compared to other luxury labels).
However, Saint Laurent handbags have seen dramatic price increases over these short years, with the Toy Loulou in particular going up nearly 100% in retail price–now sitting at just under $2,000.00USD.
Even thought Saint Laurent may be a more ‘entry level’ brand when it comes to luxury hand bags, its still a lot of money to be dropping on an accessory.
So for todays blog, I want to explore the Toy Loulou: my thoughts on the bag, how it wears, what it can hold, what I use it for, how much I’ve used it over the years etc.
I’ve I have stated many times on this blog, I can’t tell you if a piece is going to be worth it to you personally. However, by the end of this article, I hope that I’ll be able to provide you with enough antidotal experience to help you decide if the Toy Loulou is still worth it for you in 2024.
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Table Of Content
How To Save BIG on your Saint Laurent Purchases
Buying a luxury piece is a big purchase, that’s why I like to shop using Rakuten to get some cash back.
If you don’t already know, Rakuten is an online rebate service that automatically adds cash back to your account when you shop at one of their hundreds of retailers–which includes some of my favorite department stores such as Nordstrom, Neimen Marcus, Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Sak’s
All you have to do is open Rakuten before you shop and they take care of the rest.
Then, every 3 months, they will send you a ‘Big Check’ with all the cash back that you’ve earned on shopping that you were going to do anyways.
You can choose to have your’s sent through the mail, but I get mine deposited through PayPal which is just easier for me.
When I bought this handbag back in 2020, I received 15% cash back on that purchase which was over $100.00 in cash.
New shoppers to the program can earn an additional $30 cash back as well with a qualifying purchase– just use this link here.
This is a great way to save a little extra cash and get an additional discount on some luxury pieces (and who doesn’t like saving money?), so I always like to bring this program up when I can.
Shop Sale on Toy Loulou at Cerritte
History Of The Loulou Bag
Launched in 2017, the Saint Laurent Toy Loulou was created buy designer Anthony Vaccarello.
Named after one of Yves Saint Laurent’s muses, LouLou de la Falaise, the Loulou design takes the classic flap bag and makes it more youthful with an envelope styled flap and a ‘Y” pattern chevron quilting.
Now available in four sizes, the smallest in this line, the Toy Loulou was rolled out as part of the winter 2018 collection for the house and has been a mainstay with the brand ever since.
The Loulous (Toy Loulou included) comes in a wide variety of leather colors and finishes. Amongst some of the more popular color combinations being beige with gold hardware and black with black hardware.
The Loulouss have seen a fair share of price increases over these last 7 years as well.
The Toy Loulou launched under the $1,000.00USD mark back in 2018.
Now, the price for the Toy is sitting just under $2,000.00USD here in January of 2024, with another price increase likely in the brand’s future.
In the past, Saint Laurent would go on sale a few times a year at the major luxury department stores, where you would be able to get 20%-60% off– which I think was a huge part of the allure to the brand as well. However, this brand doesn’t go on sale as much anymore.
Despite these ever looming price increases, the Loulou bags (Toy included) remains one of the more popular handbags with the brand.
And a quick look at Google Trends, shows that there is still plenty of buzz sounding this bag all these years later.
While I think it’s still too early to tell, the Loulou may soon end up becoming a classic style for Saint Laurent.
About My Toy Loulou
I introduced my lovely bag in this blog post here WAY back at the start of 2021 where I talk more in depth about how I like to save on big luxury purchases.
I purchased my Toy Loulou new from Net-A-Porter during a New Years Sale for about $950.00USD at the end of 2020.
At that time, the bag retailed for $1,250.00USD and cost about the same on the reseller’s market.
I remember there being a lot of color options available at the time, but I opted for beige with gold hardware. It was a harder color combination to find and I’m much more attracted to lighter neutral colors than I am blacks (I hardly own any black bags).
One thing that I learned is that not all the straps of the Toy Loulou are the same. While they are all detachable, some are adjustable and some are not. Some are convertible, and others are not.
The version that I purchased has a non adjustable, non convertible strap. I honestly don’t know why they did this, as it would have been cool to adjust the strap length in general, but at 5’5, the length is actually well for me.
The Functionality,Durability & Usability Of The Toy Loulou
When doing a full review of an item, I like to take a look at the functionality, durability and the over all usability of the piece.
I find that including this in reviews helps to better focus in on how the item actually works in my wardrobe and can help you better determine if it will be a good suit for you.
For handbags, functionality refers to the utility of the bag, especially during day to day use. Durability is referencing how robust and hardwearing the bag has been. Finally, usability refers to how the bag wears on the body.
Functionality
While the Toy Loulou may have a more playful and youthful twist to it, it’s still your classic flap bag design: which is popular for a reason.
A flap bag is a practical choice for daily use as they are generally very secure.
I particularly enjoy just how easy it is getting in and out of the Toy Loulou. I personally have no issues with the magnetic snap closure when the the bag is full, and despite me overstuffing this bag on a few occasion, the closure has always stayed.
As the name implies however, this is a small bag. We will cover this in more depth in the section below, but this is not a bag you will want to choose if you have a lot that you need to be carrying with you.
I have found that I really gravitate towards this bag when I’m looking for something small to run casual errands, shopping, lunch dates and for when I want a small bag with me while traveling.
There are different versions of the Toy Loulou, however mine had a small zipper compartment in the back that I find prefect for storing recipes and 3 card slots in the front which is great because it means I don’t have to bring a wallet.
The main cavity of the bag is split into two equally small sections that can hold my basic daily items.
So long as I don’t overstuff or stack too high, I feel like I can get my basic necessities for short trips easily into this purse.
I do caution about stacking things too high in this bag, as the little gap that is created with the flap can lead to something small and thin like these Chanel lip sticks spilling out. But this is a common issue with many flap style bags, not just the toy Loulou.
Durability
Made of coated calf skin leather, this is an over all durability piece.
I have found the the Saint Laurent leathers tend to be wrinkly and aged. This is definitely going to be a preferences thing, as I actually enjoy the aged looked but some people don’t.
I have no proof of this, but I feel like the aged leather actually wears better over time because the leather has already been treated and worn in.
Because of the coated leather, this bag is very easily cleaned too. I like to use wipes like these, to gently wipe the dirt away after use and a few times a year, I like to condition this bag using this conditioner here as I find that it really hydrates my bag and brings back the suppleness.
I don’t recommend taking any of your luxury leather bags out into pouring weather on purpose, however if you do get caught in a rain storm with your Toy Loulou, I’m sure you’re bag will be ok.
The finishing on this bag is thick and you won’t really get watermarks that will stay if you get caught in the rain.
This bag is susceptible to sun damage however, so I would recommend not storing it in direct sunlight (a I recommend for all bags.) as this can cause the color to patina.
But for the most part, this bag at first inspection looks brand new, even with all its wear.
Upon closer examination, you’ll see that after 3 years, there is minor corner wear. However that corner wear is very minimal had hardly visible.
Usability
Because of its compact size, I feel like the Toy Loulou wears very well on my 5’5 frame.
I absolutely love that this has a detachable strap. While I don’y wear this pieces a s clutch (its pillowy design makes it a bit too bulky for that in my opinion), I do like to double the straps up to make this a shoulder bag or add a small strap like this one here to make it a top handle carry.
But crossbody is the most fusional way to wear this piece for me.
As mentioned earlier, the version that I have doesn’t have any ability to adjust the strap length. However I find that it had the prefect drop length for my size, falling perfectly between my waist and hips.
I feel like this bag is securely at my side, even when I’m running after my young children at the park, walking around with my shopping at the mall or just in a crowed place in general.
And with this length, it’s easy to twist the bag around to pull what I need in and out without feeling like I’m fumbling.
I truly enjoy how this bag wears on my body, but if I had to be nit picky, I would say that the Toy Loulou is really puffy for it’s size. I would say a good 35-45% of this bag if just puff. So it does feel a lot more bulky than it should be.
I don’t mind it when I wear it was a crossbody since its still a small bag. When it wear it like a shoulder bag however, I do have to make sure that there is enough drop in the strap so that my arm doesn’t feel like it’s poking out.
And because this bag is basically a pillow, even at its tiny size, it feel awkward to use it as a clutch.
But that’s just me being nit picky as overall this bag is a joy to wear.
What Fits In My Toy Loulou
- Pen (from my shop here)
- Mask
- Chanel Pilot Glasses
- Dior Lip oil
- Apple AirPods
- Hand Sanitizer
- Mini Pochette
- Mirror
- Hand cream
- Emergency kit
- Mini Perfume
- Louis Vuitton Cles Pochette
- Louis Vuitton Cigarette case (for tissues )
- iPhone 14
You should not expect this bag to hold the whole kitchen sink. But if you’re a bare bones type of person (or just prefer miniatures like I do), this bag will do you very well.
For those that are curious; yes, the Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette does fit inside the Toy Loulou.
I think it fits better in the front, but it does fit into the back without much effort.
I like the idea of having the Mini Pochette in my Toy Loulou as a catch all because it keeps my things a bit more secure and organized in my opinion.
I like to keep my mirror, small perfume, a small emergency kit and some hand cream in my Mini Pochette. And having all that in there instead of rattling around the bottom of the Toy Loulou just keeps things more organized for me.
With the Mini Pochette in the back, I still have space for my phone, a cles Pochette, a cigarette case (used for my tissues) and sunglasses.
I do have to say that I don’t like keeping my phone in this bag because I don’t like that I do have to dig for this item (it doesn’t fit it vertically). But it can fit in easily if you need to be hands free.
Is the Toy Loulou Worth It?
Let talk about the value that you’re getting with this handbag.
As of January 1st 2024, the Toy Loulou starts at $1,990.00USD in stores. Sometimes you can luck out and find them at Selfridges (a Rakuten partner) for around $1,500.00USD and if you can catch a private sale at Nordstroms, you can potentially pick one up for as low as $1,200.00USD
On the resell market, Toy Loulou typically range from $1,200.0USD to as much as $2,100.00USD depending on the style.
The Toy Loulous in my color range seem to be going for about $1,700.00 in ‘Good’ condition at the moment.
From my periodic monitoring, stock for the Toy Loulou’s does seem to turn over so there is still demand for this bag on the secondary market as well.
Saint Laurent has also included the Toy Loulou in just about every price increase that it has had recently, so its likely that the retail cost of this bag will go up in the near future as well.
Taking all of this into consideration, there is clearly still demand and interest in this bag. And if you bought and sold this bag there is potential for you to turn a profit if you you were able to catch a sell and buy low and then sell it yourself for a higher price.
But I don’t really view bags as investments that way as I explain in this blog here.
So when I think about if this bag is worth it or not to me, I also have to consider its utility in my life.
I clearly enjoy this bag, as it has made my list for favorites several times. But at this $2,000.00USD price point for a mini bag, I feel like I have to consider other options
While the Felice Pochette is a much smaller bag, at $1,500.00USD, it can still be a good contender for people looking to add a small luxury bag to their collection.
The Poche Toilette NM from Louis Vuitton can also be a better small purse option coming in at just over $1,000.00USD.
And if luxury labels aren’t important to you here, a contemporary brand like Tory Burch or Coach will have great style options available for $700.00USD and under.
Wheatear or not something is worth it is really subjective and is influenced by a lot of factors. For me, its difficult to say that I would pay $2,000.00USD for a bag that I paid less than $1,000.00USD for 3 years ago.
But the bag is a solidly made and has great utility in my opinion so if this was a piece that you had your heart set on, I don’t think you would be disappointed.
Final Thought
The Toy Loulou is a bag that has peaked many interest and for good reason.
This compact and stylish handbag is great for casual setting and travel. It comes built with common sense organization that makes navigating your bag easy.
The removable strap also allows you to wear this bag multiple ways, adding to the usability of this item.
While I find that the Toy Loulou is very bulky for its size, ultimately, that added bulk doesn’t get in the way of the enjoyment of using this bag.
If you are a lover of Saint Laurent and the Loulou line and can appreciate a smaller bag, then the Toy Loulou might be a good option for you.
If you’re not opposed to buying something from the resellers market, then pre loved might be the way to go, as you can sill find bags in good condition and save $100.00+ on your purchase.
This the Toy Loulou a bag you’ve considered purchasing or is it a bag you already enjoy? I would love to hear your thought down bellow!
Love, Monnii
