Purseonals: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene Speedy 30cm

To start off our new category, Purseonals, I decided to review my Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene Speedy 30cm. I bought this bag a couple years ago to complete my small Speedy collection of a 35cm, 30cm, and 25cm. The Speedy is one of the most iconic handbags in the world and so popular that many of you probably own at least one as well.

Here is how my Speedy scores in our PurseBlog Purseonals ratings:

Aesthetics

The rounded shape of the Louis Vuitton Speedy is one of the most recognizable shapes in the handbag market. Some people love the shape, some people hate it. I happen to love it. There are two short leather handles on top of the body of the bag.

The Damier Ebene gives a checker board appearance with dark brown and a lighter brown pattern. I loved this pattern when it first came out in the Speedy shape and I still like it now, but I find it a tad masculine. Of course the classic monogram canvas has been used and abused, but I prefer it on the Speedy more than the Damier Ebene.

Usability + Functionality

While the Speedy is very spacious because of the shape, that is about as far as we can go with its usability and functionality. I prefer a bag that has an option shoulder strap or can be put over the shoulder, and this Speedy has neither option. The bag must be carried by hand or in the crook of your arm. That leaves me with one less usable hand to get things accomplished and in this day and age, having both hands accessible at all times is important.

The bag loses shape very easily when you hold it, which means it doesn’t have a flat bottom with rounded sides when carried. Anything you put in the bag rolls around at the bottom, which further ruins the shape the more you put in and really makes locating specific items hard. I was carrying this bag last week and for the life of me could never find anything I needed when I needed it. My phone would hide under my wallet, my keys never seemed to jingle in the right place, and my lip gloss was buried underneath all the items I carry.

There is an inside pocket, but let me be honest: it is hard to get to. The flat pocket never gets use unless I am sitting down and open the bag to access it. This bag looks great when it is empty and forced into the ideal shape, but it looses that immediately upon adding any items or carrying it.

Quality + Construction

Many new to the handbag world have a misconception about the classic Monogram or Damier canvas bags from Louis Vuttion. These are not leather, they are coated canvas. The handles and piping are tan vachetta leather, which has held up extremely well for me over time.

While the body of the bag is not leather, there are major pluses about coated canvas. For one, I use this bag in the rain very regularly. In fact, this Speedy is one of my go-to bags in inclement weather because it does not get ruined. I simply wipe the water off the bag and it is just fine. True story: Over the weekend I was at a college football game and took this bag with me. I was sitting down enjoying some chicken fingers and fries when the team mascot began shooting shirts into the crowd. Somehow a shirt was headed my way and I was certain the men around me would jump up and get it. Unfortunately, no one did, and the shirt landed directly in my lap, splashing ketchup and BBQ sauce all over me and my bag. I grabbed a napkin and wiped it right off my Speedy, which left absolutely no stain and was the easiest clean up ever.

Every part that makes this bag is high quality. I have not had a problem with the coated canvas, with the leather, with the hardware/zipper, ever. In fact, as you can tell from these photos, this bag is in amazing shape and I have owned it over 3 years.

Another plus is the weight of the bag. This bag is EXTREMELY lightweight, which makes it much more pleasant to carry.

Value

The price of Louis Vuitton bags, like all other luxury designers, has increased with time. Louis Vuitton has price hikes yearly and this bag is now being sold for $775. For this price you can buy two genuine leather bags from a contemporary designer, but in the premiere handbag market, $775 seems par for the course.

Taking materials used and brand name into account, I still find this bag overpriced for what you get.

Staying Power

The Speedy will always be iconic, ALWAYS. It depends on personal preference for the version of the Speedy you like. I find the Damier Ebene canvas to not be as iconic as the classic Monogram canvas.

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