When Hedi Slimane took over the reins at Saint Laurent back in 2012, the designer had a plethora of experience under his belt, both at YSL, where he designed men’s collections, and at Dior, where he was creative director of Dior Homme. However, because of his prior experience in menswear, Slimane had never before designed a women’s handbag until he signed on as Creative Director of then-Yves Saint Laurent in 2012, which would soon just become Saint Laurent. His very first handbag design was a simple silhouette but a classic shape, and while it received mixed reviews from every corner of the internet, one thing was clear: celebs could not get enough of it.
Remembering the Saint Laurent Classic Duffle
Ten years ago, the Saint Laurent Classic Duffle, the first-ever handbag design by Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent, debuted. It garnered the attention of many. From fashion insiders eagerly wondering what Slimane would bring to the brand to YSL fans and, of course, us too, the Classic Duffle bag was well documented and discussed. Some loved the Classic Duffle thanks to its slouchy, effortless cool-girl appeal, and some found it to be a rather lazy design for a big handbag debut.
About a year later, the brand released two smaller versions of the Classic Duffle, all of which were popular amongst the celeb set. While to this day it remains arguable if this bag was a true hit, as its popularity remains a divisive topic, it’s a bag that is so classicly early 2010s that it remains a fond nostalgic memory for that handbag era. If you still have love for the Saint Laurent Classic Duffle, there are many available on the resale market right now. Shop now via Fashionphile.
Do you remember this bag? Did you love it? Hate it?
The Saint Laurent Classic Duffle’s Many Celeb Fans
Emma Watson
Lindsay Lohan
Beyonce
Gwenyth Paltrow
Lily Allen
Kate Moss
Selma Blair
Dakota Johnson
Rosie Huntington-Whitely
Reese Witherspoon
feautre imaged via Vogue
5 comments
I remember wanting one of these in the mini size.
I saw a black one with studs and i loved it. Wish i have an extra budget for it.
At least it’s not sporting the big and gaudy YSL logo so prevalent these days.
I just don’t like bags that are in between slouchy and structured. Is it supposed to be structured but the leather gives way and it’s beat up? Or is it meant to be like that. Pick one. I like them brand new and in the mini size. Other than that, it falls apart too quickly, structurally speaking.
I’ve always loved this bag, however, my biggest thing is the structure wear on it, no matter what size I’ve had it in, the 12, or the 6, it breaks in the middle/sides and looks like a sad face, I’ve seen the 24hr size and I’ve kinda wanted that, just to have, but its more of a large duffle size, cute but very simple and yes simple can be nice, versus the new giant logo that YSL is doing, I have a love-hate relationship with this bag, sometimes I love It, sometimes the leather really gets on my nerve because of the structure wear, and one big con, it’s lined with suede and makes it HEAVY, the duffle 12, lortttttt, I could only use it as a top handle never a shoulder, and never on the crook of my arm without feeling it dig into my arm or shoulder, never practical for errands. still on my list to get the 24hr duffle, but I dread when and how I will ever use it.