I have owned the Speedy 20 for a little over a year now and I LOVE this bag!
So much so that I did something I rarely do and bought the bag twice.
I did a quick review video for this bag over on Youtube if you’d like to check it out, but I haven’t gotten around to making a blog dedicated to this beauty yet.
The Speedy silhouette is such a classic design for the House, as I have pointed out in this blog here, that to see it in a more functional mini sizes had everyone in a frenzy.
and I still get plenty of questions on this bag, so for today’s blog I will be diving into my Speedy 20 handbags, giving you a full review as to how they’ve held up over the year, how partial they are and why they function so well in my wardrobe.
While I can never say wheatear or not an item is going to be worth it for you, I hope that by the end of this blog I can provide you with a enough information to make that determination for yourself.
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Table Of Contents
Quick Speedy History
Shop pre-loved Speedy 20’s on Fashionphile
Being such an iconic fashion staple, the Louis Vuitton Speedy has a deep and rich history.
Designed in 1930 was a smaller version of the Keepall, the Speedy was the fashion House’s first handbag and launched their brand beyond luxury travel and into fashion.
Favored by the likes of many in Hollywood, the Speedy cemented itself in fashion history books when the Speedy 25 was created for Audrey Hepburn in 1965.
This became an effortless go to style for her and soon the bag became one of Louis Vuitton’s signature pieces.
While in the 94 year history of the Speedy, the bag hasn’t seen much of an overall design change, there has been an innumerable about of cosmetic changes to match current seasons and trends, and it’s so easy to see why the Speedy has easily become a collectors piece for many luxury enthusiast.
With all the different variations, for the most part, the sizes have remained mostly the same at 40, 35, 30, 25 and an occasional mini release.
However, on October 29th 2021, Louis Vuitton added a new size the to Speedy collection: The Speedy 20.
Speedy 20 Specs
Shop pre-loved Speedy 20’s on Rebag
A step down in sizes from the Speedy 25, the Speedy 20 holds true to the classic Speedy design with a few changes.
At 8.1 x 5.3 x 4.7Â inches, the Speedy 20 features the classic speedy handles attached with 4 chaps, cow hide leather trim, gold colored hardware, interior pocket, textile lining, a padlock and key set and a removable strap.
Like all Speedy’s, the 20 have a zipper across the top to close the bag, however with the Speedy 20, the zipper extends a little bit towards the end giving users better accesses to then interior of the bag compared to the Speedy 25.
Like their larger counterparts, the Speedy 20 is now available in a selection of colors and prints.
First released in monogram, you can now find it in Damier Ebene, as well as some solid and bi color empreinte leather options.
My specific Speedy 20’s
Back in October of 2022, I purchased the Speedy 20 in the black color option (which was way different for me) and then a few months later in May I purchased in it the chamallow/latte color while I was in Hawaii.
For the most part, the empreinte leather version of the speedy’s are the same as the canvas version, but there are very slight differences.
The lining for example on the empreinte version is made from microfiber, giving it a little more of a luxurious touch.
The bandouliare on the canvas versions come with a trendy thick guitar strap, while the strap for the leather versions is made from leather as well with gold colored chain towards the end of the strap
Personally, I think that the leather versions feel a lot softer too. The empreinte leather is known to soften and feel buttery over time. I feel like the empreinte leather versions may be more prone to sagging over time.
The Functionality,Durability & Usability Of The Speedy 20
Shop Speedy 20’s and similar bags on The RealReal
When I do reviews, especially of hand bags, I like to take some time and really dive into how this pieces works for me on a daily bases.
Eye candy is nice, but if you’re getting ready to drop a mortgage payment on a fashion accessory, you want to know exactly what you’re getting into.
I find that it’s easiest for me to do this by going over the functionality, durability and usability of the item.
In my blogs, functionality describes how easy it is to use the bag, where usability describes how easy the bag is to wear. Lastly, we look at durability, seeing how well the bag has worn over time.
The functionality
There is a reason why the basic Speedy design hasn’t changed in just about 100 years.
The Speedy is one of the most practical bags out there and the Speedy 20 fits that sweet spot as far as sizes goes that makes it great for daily wear.
For those of you might not be too familiar with the Speedys, save for a small interior slip pocket, it’s a cavernous bag, giving it almost a Mary Poppin’s type feel with the sheer amount of things a Speedy can hold for appearing smaller than their counterparts.
For its part, the Speedy 20 feels much the same way.
While it of course isn’t fitting as much as the Speedy 25 of Neverfull PM, This bag does a wonderful job carrying everything that I need in it on a daily bases without me feeling like I need to squeeze of Tetris things into it.
Size wise, I will say that it is very comparable to the Alma BB–I can even get my Kindle or iPad mini without a case in this bag if I really needed too.
Perhaps the only issue with this bag functionality wise is just the lack of organization, which has long been a problem for all Speedys.
For me thought, this isn’t too much of an issue, as I always pick up a bag organizer for bags like this. And with the addition of a few more pockets and dividers, it becomes a lot easier to quickly find my things and retrieve them as needed.
While I touched on this a bit earlier, I did want to talk about the zipper again real quick because the design change here is pivotal.
With the older Speedy’s and even the Keepalls, the zipper stops at the corners of the bag, which doesn’t create a lot of space to get inside of the bag.
In contrast, the Speedy 20’s have the zippers extend pass the top corners, allowing you to open the bag wider and pull things in and out without scraping against the zipper.
The usability
Just as this bag is easy to use, it’s easy to wear as well.
The Speedy 20 has quickly become one of my favorite go to mom bags for busy days with the kids.
The strap is very comfortable and despite being on the thinner side, doesn’t slip off my shoulders when I’m moving around.
The strap is also adjustable with 5 different slots, giving you a wide range of length to choose from. I’m right at an average height at 5’5 and the longest setting is just a tab bit too long for me. I think for someone taller it would fit just right and of course someone small has the option to adjust the straps to the correct length for them.
This bag feels pretty comfortable as a shoulder bag and even better as ac crossbody bag for when I truly need to be hands free. But I think the way I love wearing this bag most is actually by using the top handle.
The top handles just make this bag so easy to grab and go, and there is plenty of space under the handles for you to wear the bag in the crock of your arm.
And from my arm, it’s pretty easy to just slide one for the handles off, reach inside of my bag and easily grab what I need.
Lastly, because of its smaller size and soft leather, this bag sets right up against your body pretty nicely.
While some other bags such as the Alma BB can feel pretty boxy at your side, the leather on the bag seems to almost mold to your side.
Even when running, this bag doesn’t move from my side too much–prefect for chasing after kids with.
The durability
By and large, the speedy are known to be fairly durable bags.
Designed for travel, the canvas versions can be folded and toss and still come out relatively fine. In fact, my first designer hand bag was a Speedy 40 that turns 40 years old this year with originally leather and hardware and she’s doing quite fine.
Of course only time will tell if the newer Speedy 20’s are just as durable as the older models of Speedys, but for the 1+ that I have owned mine, I will say that they are doing fine.
As mentioned above, I use both of my Speedy 20’s with my kids a lot. There has been lots of bumping and pulling and spills and snacks thrown, and both bags still look relatively new.
I will say that there is more scratches on my black Speedy 20 than there is on the latte colored Speedy, but even those are hardly noticeable.
On the latte colored Speedy I did have a slight issue with color transfer from my jeans.
My bag had been sitting in my lap on a family road trip and I just didn’t think about dye picking up on the bag. I immediately cleaned it when I got home and after a day or so, the stain lifted. So while you should be careful with color transfer, the leather seems robust enough to be able to clean it out if you get to it quickly.
Your Questions
I posted a video about this bag about a year ago and since then, I have gotten a few questions about this bag.
While I did my best to answer all the questions in the comment section, I felt like I should take some time to answer them here as well.
Q: Did you have any tarnishing on the hardware with this bag?
A: Not really. There is only a little tarnishing on the D ring where the strap clash attaches. But it is hardly noticeable.
Q: Where did you get your bag organizers from?
A: I got mine from Amazon. I love the Zomoni one’s but they can take a while to ship out. These ones are nice and they ship faster.
Q: Can you fit a full sized wallet in the Speedy 20?
A: My Sarah wallet fit in my Speedy 20’s, but space wise, I feel like a more compact wallet such as the Zoe or the Rosalie Coin Purse are better options.
Q: What’s the price?
A: Currently, the Speedy 20 starts at $2,030.00 USD
Q: How did you save so much money off your cream Speedy 20?
A: I purchased mine while in Hawaii! Certain stores have a less expensive market in Hawaii than on the mainland for some reason. If you live on the west cost like me, the difference in savings can be more than a plan ticket to get there. Check out my blog here
Is The Speedy 20 Worth It?
Of course only you can answer the questions on if this bag is going to be worth your coins. But for me personally, it was.
So much so that I bought this bag twice, which is a rarity for me.
As a busy mom, having a bag that can keep up with my movements, hold all my necessities and is easy in and out is a non negotiable, and the Speedy 20 delivers on all of that.
On top of being a super functional bag for me, it’s elegant and stylislish all at the same time.
I love how easy it is to dress this bg up or down, allowing me to feel comfortable using it for a wide range of occasions.
For me I get a lot of use out of this bag and it’s been totally worth the investment.
However, if you’re the type who consistently needs to carry large amounts with you, like laptops, tables, lunches etc, and rarely have a use for a smaller more personally bag, then this may not be the one for you.
You might find this bag to be too constricting and would prefer a larger bag instead.
For those who still would like a speedy, but need something larger, I encourage you to check out the Speedy 40
Final Thoughts
Overall the Speedy 20 has been an amazing bag for me.
Beyond all the fanfare it has received online, the Speedy 20 is such a practical bag for those of use who need a small sized bag for daily use.
It’s small enough to feel comfortable for long periods of wear, but large enough to hold everything that you would need to run your daily errands.
This has been an excellent bag for me in my collection and I’m sure that I will continue to favor it for years to come.
Do you love the Speedy 20 as much as I do? Come join us over on Instagram and Youtube to continue the conversation!
Love,
Monnii
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