I’m here with another review for you! This time it’s a review of the Saint Laurent YSL Small Solferino Bag in Tan! I originally saw the Small Solferino on Glam & Glitter and thought it was absolutely adorable! It’s really unique in the sense that it sits a lot higher up on your torso, and how the bottom of the L is used as a clasp on the brass YSL logo. There are just so many cool and cute things about the Solferino that made me fall in love with it!
I ended up asking my sales assistant at the Saint Laurent outlet at Bicester Village if she had any Small Solferino bags in stock in a neutral shade, and she had this Tan version available! It was absolutely meant to be! Especially as everything is discounted at the outlet, I couldn’t pass it up! I bought this bag instantly and sold a few other designer bags that I own, as I’ve really downsized my collection, and I couldn’t be happier with my current selection of bags for 2023!
The Small Solferino Sizing
This bag is pretty tiny, and when I say tiny, I do mean tiny! Not in the sense that it’s one of the mini Jaqcuemus style bags that only hold a card or lipstick, but very tiny in the sense that it’s a cross-body, functional bag. The dimensions are: 7.25 inches x 5.75 inches x 2 inches, which is equal to 19 cm x 13 cm x 5 cm. Now this might not seem small, but the internal sizing of the bag is quite different as the leather is stiff and shaped into a box.
Inside I can only fit my iPhone 11 (in a phone case), a lipstick, a card/paper money, and maybe a small set of keys. That’s it, without over stuffing it. You can see in my YouTube video below that it really is small and only fits from my knuckles to my fingertips as there’s no stretch to the leather whatsoever. Now this does come in size medium, which is probably a lot more practical, but I prefer the small for aesthetics and how it looks against my 5ft 4 frame. It’s super cute though and such a pretty size.
The YSL Solferino Design
The design of the Solferino is initially what caught my eye! I thought it was a super cute and really adorable, easy to wear bag. It features a front flap with the pivoting metal Cassandre closure. As you can see, it opens by pressing the bottom of the L down, to release the clasp. This is how the bag opens and closes and that’s so unique and one of my favourite parts about the bag! It also features one main compartment inside with one card slot, and one collapsible flat pocket and one collapsible dossier pocket. These compartments aren’t that easy to use though as the leather of the bag is really stiff. I mostly just use the main compartment for my items.
The Colour & Leather
Now the bag is made entirely of leather, even in the lining. It’s a gorgeous, really well made calfskin and I chose the colourway Tan, with brass hardware. This was an older season colour and I picked it up from the Saint Laurent outlet at Bicester Village, for 20% off as it was past season. It’s made in Italy like all Saint Laurent bags are, and I haven’t managed to find a problem with this specific bag, thankfully! I’ve had multiple problems with multiple bags from the brand, but luckily this one was good and there are no issues with the leather or colour. In fact it’s stunning and it’s quickly become one of my favourite bags! The Tan shade is a gorgeous, warm, rich, yellowy, buttery caramel shade that has depth to it as you can see! It goes with pretty much everything, it’s a great contrast to my review on the Saint Laurent Small Manhattan.
Is The YSL Solferino Easy To Wear?
YES! So this YSL Small Solferino is the easiest bag to wear in my entire collection. Because it comes up short on the torso, it doesn’t bash against your hips and bounce around with every step. It stays still the whole time! And, if you’re out eating somewhere and don’t want to put the bag down, I just slide it around the back! The strap is short enough to not hit the seat or anything, so it sits on my back while I eat, without any complaints at all. It literally is the easiest with this cute, short strap!
It’s really versatile too! I would say the bag is more on the casual side, especially when it’s worn cross-body, so it’s perfect with tees and jeans or shorts, or even sweat pants, but you can dress it up on the one shoulder as well, so it’s very versatile!
The Length Of The Strap
When this is worn as a cross-body bag, it sits quite high up on the torso. The strap drop is 39cm or 15.3 inches, and on the longest hole, the bag sits straight at my waist, just by my belly button. This is quite short as I’m not very tall, and I know a lot of the taller ladies that I’ve seen on YouTube can’t wear it this way as it looks awkward, sitting under the bust, so they wear it on the one shoulder. I can wear it both ways as I’m short, so that’s a bonus! But the short strap is what sets Solferino apart from all the other bags, and what I find so cute and practical about it.
Is The Saint Laurent Small Solferino Worth It?
Yes and no. Yes because it looks amazing! It’s sleek, cute, fun, and really easy to wear, but I don’t think I would have paid the retail price of ￡2400 or $3150 for it as that’s a LOT of money for such a tiny bag. As an example, the Nano Sac de Jour costs ￡1810 and the Small Kate costs ￡1440, and there’s really no difference in the sizing at all.
I would say the leather on the Solferino is spongy and padded, which does make it feel more luxurious, but I am glad that I got mine discounted. If money isn’t an issue for you though, I 100% recommend the Solferino! In size small if you’re shorter, and size medium if you’re taller. Of course you can have medium if you’re shorter too and prefer to carry more things, but proportions wise, I think the different sizes are good.
I do love all of the details about it though and how cute it is. I have almost zero complaints! Other than it’s a little small, a little stiff, and costs a lot. It comes in many different colours and has come in bright colours over the years, however the current versions are more neutral! What do you think of YSL Solferino?
