How About Saint Laurent College Bag?

The YSL College bag has been around since its debut as part of the Saint Laurent Pre-Fall collection in 2015. Almost five years after its release, it has become one of the most sought after bags by the French fashion house with many handbag lovers owning multiple versions of the bag.

A yummy looking YSL logo signature, distinctive V form flap, a never-seen-before chevron quilting in Matelassé and a timeless chic design, what’s more to ask for in this Saint Laurent College bag!

Brighten your spring look or walk by in the wintery streets with this one-off bag, make it dressy or make it casual, everything is possible with its gorgeously quilted leather. Not only you would be stunned by its hold-the-shape soft leather but you’ll also deeply fall for its extremely versatile trait of dual styles- top handle and shopping bag. You will especially love the back pocket where you can slide in your beloved phone for easy access.

YSL College Bag Sizes

The YSL College bag comes in two sizes – Medium and Large. The full dimensions of both sizes can be found in the table below.

The full dimensions of both sizes can be found in the table below.

It is worth noting that the strap drop of the Large version is significantly shorter than that of the Medium version. As a result, the Medium College bag can be comfortably worn cross-body, whereas the strap of the Large version is too short for most people.

YSL College Bag Prices

The College bag is priced quite fairly when compared to other YSL bags. When compared to other luxury bags, it is often purchased as a cheaper alternative to the Chanel Boy bag.

Where to Buy YSL College Bag Bags?

• There is no e-commerce at Saint Laurent. Online, they only sell small and beauty accessories.

• The Saint Laurent College bag is becoming harder to get a hold of, especially if you’re looking for a particular size and/or color combination. 

• However, you can find other color options at SSENSE, Net-A-Porter, Farfetch and Neiman Marcus . Limited colors and sizes are also in stock at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. 

• Be careful when purchasing second-hand YSL College Bag from resellers on apps like Poshmark and Mercari or online like Vestiaire Collective, TheRealReal and 1stDibs! There are a LOT of YSL fakes on resale platforms. Since the bags are priced lower than the platforms’ authentication limits, a lot of resellers take advantage and sell replicas.

Tips: we would say your best bet is grabbing it on SSENSE since you might be able to catch it on sale, especially towards the end of the year.  Farfetch probably has the largest variety of styles you can pick from right now.

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How To Spot Real Saint Laurent College Bag?

1. The Overall Look of YSL College Bag

(1) Made out of lambskin leather which is quite durable, the College bag features chevron-quilted overstitching and the signature YSL logo in metal hardware. In general, there is something about the shape and feel of the College bag that is very attractive, which is one of the reasons why it is so popular.

(2) The College bag comes with a chain strap with a leather shoulder pad, making the bag very comfortable to carry. The strap can be removed and the bag can be carried from the handle at the top of the bag, giving it a more casual look. 

（3）You might have already noticed how much fuller the original look is: the authentic quilted leather is bulkier which makes the whole model look more fashionable whereas flat sections of fake quilted leather give the model an unfinished look. 

（4）The replica flap also has a different shape: the authentic one is sharper and more defined; counterfeit models should be trying to copy each detail as accurately as possible.

2. The Leather & Material of YSL College Bag

(1) There are creases on the sides of the authentic YSL College  bag still it keeps the shape pretty good. The leather looks and feels soft, puffy and a little oily. Once you touch it, you'll never have a problem spotting a fake YSL College handbag. 

(2) Counterfeit bags won’t use the same quality material or pay as much attention to detail. Most fake YSL bags have a plastic texture with an artificially high shine. Look out for any issues with the stitching, material, and edging.

(3) Other materials to look out for include its original metal hardware. Saint Laurent uses precious metals that aren’t plated, so they don’t chip, discolor, or look dull.

3. The Flap of YSL College Bag

(1) The authentic quilted leather is made of symmetrical sections with stitches that are tight, solid, and neat whereas the replica sections aren't equal-sized and sewing has some problems too. Stitches on the fake flap are looser, done with thicker thread that doesn't give the sewing the same neat and seamless effect. 

(2) Another difference between real and fake YSL College Bag is the logo placement: on the authentic flap, the logo is placed just above the pointy part whereas the fake logo is below the sharp ending which is a big difference. The size of the counterfeit logo is much bigger too which contributed to this mistake.

4.The Hardware of YSL College Bag

>>The Zipper

(1) The leather piece at the bottom of the authentic zipper is super narrow but the lettering on it is flawless with its sizing, engraving, and coloring. We can't say the same about the replica part, as the leather piece is much bigger than it is supposed to be and the lettering is different too: 

(2) Instead of making it easily peelable the counterfeit brand had to engrave the letters inside the material to make it bold and easily readable.

>>The Magnetic Closure

(1) The authentic magnetic closure is smooth, reflective, and pretty big whereas the fake one is matte, much smaller and the screw in the middle of the closure is questionable too. The circle in the middle needs to be bigger and smooth just as shown in the left picture.

(2) Fake YSL bags will use smaller magnetic closures with a matte surface. Look for any screws in the magnetic closure as this is usually a red flag.

>>The Lock

(1) The authentic lock is thicker, a little bigger, and wider but the main difference is in hardware: The original lock is gold-plated whereas the fake lock sometimes is made of plastic or in better situations metal that gets darker in a few months of daily use. 

(2) The lettering on the fake lock is tiny when the letters are supposed to be bolder, thicker, and bigger just as shown in the below picture.

5.The Stitching of YSL College Bag

(1) The authentic YSL College  bag has robust and regular stitching. All lines are parallel. There should not be any repeated stitches in the middle of the line or in unexpected places. If you see stitching irregularities or double stitching are signs of a fake Saint Laurent Bag. Have a look at the stitching on the bottom side of the bag. Usually the fake bags have their stitching looking too thin.

 (2) Signs like double stitches, loose threads, or any flaw may be a sign that the bag wasn’t made up to YSL’s level of standards. And we can see each asymmetrical stitch done in a different colored thread in the right picture.

6.The Outer Logo of YSL College Bag

(1) Look at images of the brand’s iconic “YSL” logo on the front of the bag and compare it with the logo on the bag you want to buy. The original letters of the Y, S, and L all overlap with each other in certain areas, but there’s a specific way they overlap. If the overlapping is wrong or it’s impossible to tell which letter is on top of which, you’re looking at a fake bag that failed to perfectly replicate the logo.

(2) The Y’s left arm should be under the upper curve of the S, while its right arm is above the S-curve. The S’s middle section should be under the bottom half of Y. The S then intersects with the L’s vertical line in 2 points: the upper intersection should have the S on top, while the lower intersection has the L on top.

(3) Notice also the thickness of the different parts of the letters. The Y’s left arm should be thicker than the right. The L’s vertical line starts wide at the top and goes slightly narrow downwards.

7.Authentic YSL College Bag Serial Number

Vintage YSL bags have 12 digits separated by a dot. In new models, however, you can find 3 letters and then 10 digits also separated by a dot.

• First 6 digits denote the style number

• Next 4 digits are the date code

Talking about the date code, the first 2 digits are the month of production and the last 2 digits are the year of production. Some bags from the latest Yves Saint Laurent collection have a prefix and a dot before the style number. Note that there should be only one row of digits, two rows is a tell-tale sign that the bag is a fake.

YSL bag use serial numbers as a measure to preserve the reputation of the brand and to better protect their bags against counterfeiting, making it more difficult for counterfeiters to copy the brand's style.

How To Spot a Fake YSL Serial Number?

• Examine the heat stamp. On YSL vintage bags apart from the serial number you can find the words: “made in Italy.” Note that it should be written exactly under the digits. On some models of YSL bags, letters can be capital.

• Examine the letters. All letters should be of the same size with equal spacing between letters.

• If you see that the serial number is missing, probably the bag is a counterfeit.

8.YSL College Bag Blind Stamps 

(1) On the underside of a Saint Laurent bag’s flap, you’ll see the signature Saint Laurent / Paris embossed below the ‘male’ half of the snap. Saint Laurent Paris should be capitalized in a sans serif font.

(2) Compare the shape of the S. The angle of the As and the spacing of the letters. The N and the T will touch. The slope of the R leg in Laurent is rounded, while the R leg in Paris is straight. Counterfeiters will frequently use the same font throughout.

(3) The strap also has a heat stamp with the same font. Note the difference of the leather. 

(4) Moreover, an unfoiled blind stamp will be at the base of the flap and on the internal pocket. YSL College handbags also have The blind stamp will say ‘Made in Italy,’ and below will be the style number and date code.

9.The Interior Label of YSL College Bag

(1) the authentic YSL College Bag label is flawless with its stitching, coloring, and lettering. On the other hand  the counterfeit bag not only is it made of low-quality leather that looks ridiculously different from the authentic one but also is much smaller, stitched in securely to the background, and just faded. 

(2) The font of the replica label is different too, it's more square-like and bigger; instead of engraving letters in the leather, the counterfeit brand decided to do otherwise.

10.The YSL Authenticity Card

All original YSL bags are equipped with a white authenticity card and a black care manual, placed in a black envelope with white lettering. The  letters' font on  real bags are bolder, thicker, and easier to read.The font of the card in the fake bag is incorrect and it's light silver instead of white. 

11. The YSL College Bag Dust Bag

YSL Dust bags are often the easiest way to tell a genuine vs. fake Saint Laurent bag. However, gone are the days when a dust bag, box, and receipt were easy ways to tell if a Saint Laurent bag was genuine. Counterfeiters are taking extra steps to replicate everything that comes with YSL bags, including their dust bags.

(1) Authentic YSL bags will have a soft material that feels luxurious, while counterfeit bags will usually come in a polyester dust bag.

(2) You also want to check the font used for the dust bag. Fake dust bags will use thinner lettering that looks faded. Genuine dust bags will have bolder and thicker lettering.

12.Where Are Saint Laurent Bags Made?

Saint Laurent bags are made in Florence, Italy. The brand is continuing its tradition of manufacturing in Italy. While the company’s headquarters are located in Paris, its handbags are manufactured in Italy.

The fact Saint Laurent bags are made in Italy adds to their luxury. Luxury and contemporary brands are increasingly moving their production to Asia to reduce production costs.

Conclusion: How To Spot Fake YSL College Bag Quckily?

Aside from the above signs of authenticity, here are some additional red flags that can appear if a Yves Saint Laurent isn’t real.

1.Price is lower than market value

If something’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Pre-owned YSL bags won’t cost the same as brand new ones, but people aren’t going to let go of a luxury designer bag for a fraction of what it’s worth.

2.Seller doesn't offer refunds

Buying a bag online limits your ability to examine the bag in detail. It’s a major red flag if sellers don’t offer money-back guarantees in case you spot signs that the bag you received is not authentic.

3.Bag fails the desiner bag authentication 

If the bag has no serial number, the serial number doesn’t line up with YSL’s format, or any other obvious sign, you can authenticate for yourself. But if you’re unsure, you can pay a professional authentication service to verify the bag for you. If they can’t verify the bag’s authenticity, it might be a red flag not to purchase the bag.

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