Saint Laurent Loulou Size Guide: Toy, Small, Medium and Large

The Saint Laurent Loulou is sold in four sizes, and unlike most quilted shoulder bags the differences are meaningful rather than marginal. The Small is a genuine day bag, the Large carries a laptop, and the Toy is closer to a belt bag than a handbag. Here are Saint Laurent’s own measurements and what each one actually does.

Saint Laurent Loulou size chart

Saint Laurent publishes Loulou dimensions as width by height by depth. The chain is a shoulder strap on every size, and it converts to a double chain on the Small and above.

Saint Laurent also makes a Toy Loulou crossbody, which sits below the Small and is built for a phone, cards and a lipstick rather than a day’s contents.

Which Loulou size to buy

Toy

The smallest in the line and a crossbody by design. Take it for evenings and for days when you want your hands free and are carrying almost nothing. It is the cheapest way into the Y-quilt, which is why it turns up so often as a first Saint Laurent bag.

Small

The classic. At 24cm wide and 6cm deep it takes a phone, a cardholder, keys and a compact, and the quilting keeps its shape whether it is full and when it is nearly empty. If you want one Loulou that reads correctly at dinner and at a desk, this is it.

Medium

Five centimetres wider and two deeper than the Small, which is more difference than it sounds. The Medium takes a full-size wallet and a small pouch, and it is the size to choose if the Small has ever felt tight.

Large

At 32cm by 22cm with a 10cm depth this is a working bag. It holds a slim laptop, a wallet and a folded scarf. The trade-off is that the Y-quilt looks softer at this scale, so it slouches more than the smaller sizes when it is not full.

How the Loulou wears

The Y-shaped quilting is stitched over padding, so every Loulou is softer in the hand than a structured flap bag. That means the bag moulds to the body rather than standing away from it, which flatters most frames and is the main reason people size up rather than down.

The chain doubles on the larger sizes, giving a shoulder drop for daytime and a shorter drop for evening. Worth checking before you buy, because a single long chain on a Large sits low on the hip.

Care

Matelassé lambskin is the softest leather Saint Laurent uses on this bag and it marks. Keep it out of direct sun, store it stuffed so the quilting stays plump, and use a dust bag rather than stacking it against other bags, since hardware from a neighbouring bag is the usual cause of a scuff.

Shop the Loulou at Coveti

Coveti stocks the Loulou in matelassé lambskin across the small, large and toy crossbody sizes. Browse the full range on the Saint Laurent brand page, see more compact styles in mini bags, and compare shoulder styles in shoulder and crossbody bags.

For sizing on other houses, see our Bottega Veneta Jodie size guide and our guide to mini bag sizing and care.