IMAGE: SAINT LAURENT

You can go ahead and call Saint Laurent’s Kaia their it-bag of the season, but the French luxury brand is introducing another icon-in-the-making. Known as the Solferino Satchel, it will be arriving in stores locally on 15 July 2020.

Offered in two sizes (Small and Medium), the bags are constructed from luscious box calfskin leather. Requiring an age-old technique that involves hand-rolling of the leather to create a glossy surface, it is also a leather that will develop a bright patina over time. And these are qualities that differ from the classic Saint Laurent pieces in croc-embossed leather or Grain de Poudre because only the ‘heart’ of the leather is used to ensure a completely smooth surface front and back.

IMAGE: SAINT LAURENT

Named after the iconic street (Rue de Solferino) where Saint Laurent’s Parisian studio sits, the Solferino Satchel features a boxy silhouette that’s all about form and function. Both the Small (19 cm by 13 cm) and Medium (23 cm by 16 cm) size are styled with a shortened shoulder strap meant to be worn casually under the arm, but you can always lengthen it as you wish. There’s added charm with the rounded corners and padded pipings that give the Solferino Satchel an elevated look and feel that’s vintage yet modern all at once.

Each bag comes with four layers of edge painting that’s applied by hand, and the triple-gusseted construction has been meticulously assembled, so it will maintain its rigid shape whenever it’s not in use. Finished with the ‘secret’ YSL lock (open the bag by giving the ‘L’ a slight push down), prices start from SGD3650 for the Small and SGD3840 for the Medium, all of which you can view up-close this Wednesday, way before its online launch that’s only slated for the end of the month.

IMAGES: SAINT LAURENT