I recently purchased my first card holder because I have been looking for a good one for quite a while now, because I tend to wear a lot of smaller bags so a small wallet or card holder just seemed a lot more convenient.
The one in particular that I ended up getting was the Saint Laurent "Classic 5 Fragments Zip Pouch" in black grained leather (x).
For me it was important that the card holder is not just a basic card holder but definitely more like a mini wallet which means it had to have a zipper. I usually never really have cash on me but when I do, I want it to fit into the card holder as well, so a zipper was a must for me.
For size reference, the YSL pouch is 13 x 8 cm which is the perfect size for small crossbody bags. It is real leather, it comes in a bunch of different colours but I decided that black would be the most classic and durable colour. Also, I decided to go with the grained leather, silver hardware instead of the smooth leather, gold hardware version because I thought grained leather for a card holder would just be a lot more durable since smooth leather is known for scratching a lot easier. So if you keep putting cards in an out, it's likely to get scratched and look beaten up a lot quicker. Do I regret it? No, I love the grained leather.
Packaging
If you are curious from where I got mine exactly, I did order it off of Luisaviaroma.com because I just found that their service is the best.
When the package arrived, it was in this really pretty black, maybe dark blue box from Luisaviaroma, when you open it, there was a bow wrapped around the actual Saint Laurent box too.
So when you get it in stores or the YSL online shop, the card holder comes with its authenticity cards, tells you it is real leather etc., it also comes inside this gorgeous Saint Laurent Paris black box and inside it is also put into its own little dust bag which I just think makes it so much more luxurious.
A Closer Look
The card holder has a really nice grained black leather, the front side with the 5 slots for your hards and the "Saint Laurent Paris" logo in silver, as well as a silver zipper on top for more cards or cash money.
The zipper is silver and also says "Saint Laurent Paris" on the pull. The pull on the zipper is also a little bent, which at first I was not sure if it is how it's supposed to be or if someone had done that to mine, but it definitely is supposed to look like that, no worries.
I do have to say, the zipper is not as smooth as I would like it to be but I reckon it will get a little better over time and more use. Also depends on how much stuff you have inside, so when it's empty, it is a lot easier to open and zip up than if you were to fully pack it with cards and money.
The inside of the card holder is black leather as well, on the back of it, it says "Saint Laurent Paris" once again as well as "Made in Italy". On the other side it does say some number code which I guess it to identify the card holder and also prove it's authenticity in case of it needing to be repaired in a YSL store.
What fits inside?
As you can see, I definitely do fill it up quite a bit with my cards. I have two cards each in two of the five card slots which are the cards that I use more regularly.
In the zipper I usually carry money or coins, as well as some more cards that I do not use as often.
The cards do come out fairly easy, even the ones that have two cards in one slots. I found that if the cards don't come out as easily, you can just wiggle the card holder to the sides a bit and you can pull the card right out.
Even though it is leather, the card holder does feel a bit stiff, especially when you carry as much cards as me on the outside, it's not that easy to access the inside of the zipper, so keep that in mind.
Do I recommend it?
Definitely.
I think for the 195€ that it is, it's an affordable designer SLG that is very handy and useful. At first I was not sure if I would get that much use out of it or if I'd actually rather carry a smaller wallet but now that I have it, I am absolutely obsessed. I take it everywhere with me, it fits inside the jeans pockets, it fits in basically any jacket pocket. All in all it's just extremely convenient.
I also think that if you want to start a luxury collection, an SLG is always a good start if you don't have or want to spend the money on an actual handbag. So something like a card holder or maybe a belt is a nice way to start a luxury collection.
xox, Julia
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