My Goyard Review

Some of my most frequent DM's are about my Goyard. I purchased my Goyard St. Louis GM tote almost exactly a year ago, and I use it almost every single day, but I've never reviewed it! This tote is the biggest designer purchase I've ever made, and since I get a lot of questions about the bag, so I want to share all of my thoughts in one spot. 

Last summer I was at lunch with my aunt and cousin at Bergdorf's a week after my birthday when I had two glasses of wine and decided it was going to officially be the day I bought my long-awaited Goyard. That sounds kind of spontaneous... let's backtrack. 

picking out my bag at BG last year! above is the PM - which is the size I did not end up choosing

I had planned to get a Goyard in 2019 after doing my personal biggest blogging campaign, but I wasn't in New York or Chicago (you can't get them online) before I felt like the time to "celebrate" that milestone kind of passed. Then, once I got my job in 2020, I wanted to celebrate that accomplishment by buying the bag, but Covid hit shortly after and I didn't come to NYC until I moved here! 

Finally, in March of 2022, I moved to New York City after saving up for six months while living at home in Wisconsin on a New York salary. I kind of knew it was a matter of time before I bought the bag here in the city. When I finally found myself at Bergdorf's in August 2021 celebrating my birthday and a recent raise at work, it just seemed like the perfect day to do it.

Let's dive into the details!

What did I buy? 

The Goyard St. Louis tote, in the GM size, in Blue. 

The St. Louis style is their classic, simple tote. It comes in two sizes: the PM (standard tote size) and GM, which must stand for gigantiqué in French because it's literally massive. You could fit an entire Thanksgiving turkey and three beach towels in there at the same time! 

No idea where I came up with that... lol, but it is really big. I basically chose the GM over the PM because of the strap length. The PM shoulder strap is quite short; it barely fit comfortably on my shoulder, and I wear my totes on my shoulder, so it was a no-brainer for me to choose the GM. There is also the Artois style as opposed to the St. Louis which has a longer shoulder strap, but it's a more sophisticated bag, and I knew I wanted a slouchy/casual/everyday tote and not a structured/sophisticated tote. After all, I use the bag mostly for errands and travel.

Why did I buy it?

I have wanted a Goyard tote for as long as I can remember; that's the main reason. But why this specific bag in the first place? Let's dive into it. I could talk about this for hours. 

Long answer: I absolutely love the look of Goyards and the story behind the brand. A lot of people compare Goyard to Louis Vuitton, with good reason. Both houses were founded in Paris, but Goyard is one year older, founded in 1853. It's actually the oldest leather goods company still in business. Both brands are known for their monogram canvases, but unlike Louis Vuitton, Goyard has only one pattern that has never changed since the start and only comes in color variations as opposed to different patterns. I just love the timelessness of the brand and the simplicity. 

I appreciate that Goyard doesn't spend money on advertising and therefore isn't quite as "commercial" as other designer brands; it creates an aura of exclusivity. Anyone will recognize a Louis Vuitton, but only some recognize Goyard. Of course, over the past year, Goyards have blown up on social media and are now significantly more popular than they once were, I but I still feel like there is an aura of sophistication around the brand that you don't get with many other designer brands. You also can't buy a Goyard (at least, a new one) online, which I love because I don't think anything sounds quite as anticlimactic as making a fabulous purchase online when there are plenty of Saturdays in life meant for drinking champagne and splurging in store.

You can read more about the brand's history here, and a fasincating article about their elusiveness here.

Short answer: I think the bags are gorgeous, the brand is chic as f*ck, and I had the same leather tote since I was 16 and needed an adult upgrade!

Where did I buy it?

Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, which I wouldn't recommend. Talk about anti-climatic... Goyards are just painted canvas totes at their core, and watching the salesperson pull stuffed, crumpled bags out of a cabinet definitely made the experience a bit lackluster. I would recommend going to the Goyard store in NYC instead. Like I said, my purchase was spontaneous, so I didn't really consider details like these.

Pros

The best part of the bag, in my opinion, is the color. I "tried on" a few different colors, and I'm not kidding, the blue made me tear up. It is so beautiful. In my opinion, despite it being quite bright, the blue color is a kind of neutral because it goes with everything. I love that not many people have the blue so it's even more unique. The most popular Goyard colors are the black and the black-with-tan trim, possibly partly because the "special colors" (which I believe are all colors besides the blacks) are significantly more expensive. I can't remember the difference but I think that is something worth noting.

I love that the bag comes with a cute pouch, too. I've used it on its own just a few times; it's great and adorable and easy to remove/reattach. It is, however, the only "pocket" in the whole purse. More on that below. 

The bag is incredibly durable. I travel with it and usually carry two laptops, two books, random chargers, snacks, etc, so the bag is like 30lbs. I'm not kidding, it's SO heavy! Because it's such high quality though, it's been totally fine every time. You would be surprised because on its own the bag is incredibly flimsy. Apparently, the Goyard St. Louis was originally designed as a beach tote, so it can hold a lot of weight while also being packable and casual. I love that it's the kind of tote you can just toss things into and go; it is meant to be casual and easy, and that's how I use it!

Cons

As I mentioned, I'd wanted a Goyard tote for years. Like, since I was 15! So, when I actually bought the tote and realized it's really just canvas and leather and has no pockets and the straps aren't the perfect length, I was definitely disappointed. But obviously not disappointed enough not to buy it, so ultimately, no cons!

How much was it?

After taxes, it came out to $2,172. It is significantly less expensive if you purchase it in France... like, I could have bought a round-trip flight to Paris and the bag for the same price. I do wish I'd known this before purchasing because I obviously would have preferred to have gone to Paris!!!

I think the price difference between the PM (smaller/standard size) and GM (larger size that I got) was about $150-200, and for me, that was pretty insignificant since there was no way I was getting the PM with the whole strap length issue. In fact, I almost went with the zip-top option that has even longer straps, but I think that was significantly more expensive and it wasn't the vibe I wanted.

If a Goyard is out of your price range, this is the leather tote I had for six years before buying my Goyard. It exceeds the Goyard in terms of practicality and functionality, and it is equally as durable, all for under $200. I absolutely love the interior pocket and the length of the straps. Since it is so simple, I think it's a perfect work tote, too. If I hadn't beat mine up so much, I may not have ever replaced it!

Would I buy it again?

Yes. While the straps and lack of organization annoy me sometimes and I don't know if it is entirely "worth" the price, since I'd wanted it for so long and I absolutely love the look of it, I would purchase it again. When I am just walking around the city sometimes in a boring outfit, I feel like it makes me look chicer and it makes me feel like I'm part of an exclusive club. After all, that's like the whole point of buying a designer tote instead of a regular leather tote... you want the look and brand recognition. 

I will say, as I mentioned earlier, I would not buy it at Bergdorf's again... or honestly, maybe not any designer bag at Bergdorfs, for that matter. Maybe it was just the sales associate, but I didn't feel very special making the purchase. It was my first big designer purchase, and I felt like the salesperson wasn't excited for me. I just expected more hype and didn't get it. However, I loved the experience of having lunch with my aunt and cousin and then heading downstairs to spontaneously make the purchase. Pros and cons!

Updated 6/30/2023

What about the mini Goyard?

Last summer, two of my best friends and I all purchased *fake* Goyard Mini Anjou's online. The real mini Anjou's are $3K+ because, unlike the St Louis Tote, the real Mini Anjou's are leather on both sides (they are meant to be reversible). Since I already had a real Goyard, I didn't see the point in spending another few thousand dollars on a second one, especially a mini one. 

I will say, however, I use my little anjou almost just as much -- this little purse is truly the perfect shoulder bag / mini tote for summer. I love that it really fits everything yet is still small - it fits my Kindle or a book, a water bottle, usual essentials... and the open top and shoulder fit makes it one of my favorite purses because it's just so easy!

DM me on Instagram if you want the direct link to the one I purchased - it's an amazing dupe! Four of my besties now all have this, we're obsessed!

xoxo