Throughout the years, YSL designs have become iconic cultural and artistic references, and its founder, the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, secured a reputation as one of the twentieth century's most talented designers.
Part of the Kering Group, the YSL fashion house keeps true to its identity of absolute modernity and fashion authority. Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, appointed in April 2016, YSL offers a broad range of women's and men's ready-to-wear products, shoes, jewelry and eyewear and most importantly - iconic handbags.
Rebranded in 2012, the fashion house started a new page in bag history. If previously we recognized YSL as a brand that offers tuxedos, now everyone is after their College, LouLou and Envelope handbags.
Let's take a deep dive into one of their most popular handbags, a YSL College Medium bag.
YSL Medium College Bag Review
YSL College is a crossbody bag with a V flap. Released in different colors and sizes, it's a versatile and stylish purse good for both day and night.
I've had this purse for a year along and if you're considering it, I has something to shar that you might find useful. As College resembles another iconic luxury purse, a Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis, I thought I'll be fun to create a review based on thorough comparison of the two purses.
YSL College Bag Serial Number: How to Decypher YSL Serials
Vintage YSL bags always have a serial number inside. It's 12 digits separated by a dot.
Newer styles, however, have three letters, 6 digits, then another 4 digits separated by a dot.
YSL College serial usually consists of 3 parts: 3 letter code, 6 digits and then another 4 digits separated by a dot.
The last 4 digits look very much like month and year of production. The first 2 digits are the production month while last 2 digits look like year of production.
We still don't know what the letters and 6 digits stand for. They can probably indicate production factory, unique item number. We are not aware if those numbers are unique.
YSL College Medium vs Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis Comparison
YSL College resembles much another luxury bag, a Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis. If you wondered what's the difference between the two, let's go through them briefly.
Size Comparison
Though the two appear to be very similar in size, Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis is larger and fits much more. Both bags have two large compartments inside, an internal pocket and one external pocket.
When it comes to the size, both handbags can fit your daily essentials.
Leather Comparison
YSL College handbag is released in matelasse leather, which is a soft leather with chevron sewing on it. Metis had a lot of versions of which the Monogram canvas is the most coveted. The Metis we had for this comparison is made from Empreinte leather, which is a firm leather embossed with LV iconic print.
Generally speaking, YSL soft leather is much more susceptible to scratches and scuffs. It ages much faster than Empreinte especially when we're talking about medium-sized bags (note than on larger bags Empreinte doesn't wear well in terms of embossing deepness and also the corners are mostly scratched easily).
Price Difference
LV Pochette Metis In Monogram Canvas and Empreinte are $1,830 and $2,230 respectively. YSL is about $2,500 depending on the size and type of leather.
It worth noting that purchasing a Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis in monogram canvas in the boutique is almost impossible in the US and across the globe. The bag is produced in limited quantities and unless you're buying from a reseller you should be very lucky to come across one.
YSL is quite easy to find and purchase. Moreover, YSL throws private sales two times a year so you can try finding this bag for less. YSL is also sold across a large network of department stores that may have their own sales while LV never ever has any sales.
Bottom line, though they're definitely in the same price range, LV Pochette Metis is cheaper and holds up better
Strap: Important difference
There's just one important difference that we can't omit. While Metis strap is adjustable, YSL College cannot be adjusted. A lot of YSL handbag owners are looking for a way to shorten YSL College strap. It can be done by a cobbler.
In addition, most of the YSL strap is chain, while LV Metis strap is all leather.
YSL Medium College Handbag Wear and Tear
Honestly, I was disappointed by the leather durability. I always knew soft leather is not for me cause every time I get a bag in soft leather I end up selling it for almost nothing as it loses the shape, gets scratched and looks like I used it to play soccer. However, I just used my YSL a handful of times and here it is.
Are You Purchasing a Secondhand Pochette Metis?
If you need to authenticate Louis Vuitton items, please order one of the three types of authentication available below:
Verbal Authentication $10
- good when you need a certificate for any reason
Certificate of Authenticity $25
- good when you need a certificate either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or to return a counterfeit item to the seller if you purchased a fake
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
Certificate of Authenticity with a thorough explanation $50
- good when you need a certificate and you need to know why the bag is authentic/not authentic for any reason, either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or return a fake bag to the seller if you purchased a fake.
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
- includes an explanation of why the item is fake (detailed pictures and comparisons with an authentic bag, more than 10 pics included)
