History of the bag: Louis Vuitton Saumur

Vintage Louis Vuitton Saumur 35 vs 43 and the Saumur worn as shoulder bag

The Louis Vuitton Saumur bag

The Louis Vuitton Neverfull, Louis Vuitton Speedy, Louis Vuitton Alma and the Louis Vuitton Noé are all iconic bags made by the well known namesake brand. However, there’s one missing here. A great Louis Vuitton crossbody bag named; Saumur. The Louis Vuitton Saumur is an amazingly handy crossbody bag that comes in different sizes, can easily be adjusted and carries a lot. Making it a great bag for everyday use, traveling, and overall making you look fabulous!

Originating somewhere around the 1980’s, the Louis Vuitton Saumur bag is named after the village Saumur in the Loire Valley in the North of France. This village is famous for its horse riding schools, which is probably the inspiration behind the design of the bag as well. Because when you unbuckle the two compartments of the bag, it might remind you of the design of a horse saddle.

Fun fact: Coco Chanel was born in the village of Saumur.

The design of the bag

The ‘classic’ Saumur is made of monogram canvas with Vachetta leather trims, and is lined with brown cotton canvas. The shoulder strap comes with a shoulder pad, making it very comfortable to wear even when the bag is heavily packed. The Louis Vuitton Saumur consists of two separate compartments that are buckled together. Each compartment can be opened and closed with its own buckle closure.

Originally the LV Saumur is a crossbody bag, but it can of course be worn on as a shoulder bag as well. The shoulder strap can be adjusted in seven ways, but it’s possible to shorten the strap even more so it will look like an ‘actual’ shoulder bag. All you have to do is follow the next steps to do so:

  1. Open the buckle of the shoulder strap so you’ll have two parts.
  2. Take the long side of the strap and take it underneath/between the two compartments.
  3. Take it out on the other side of the bag.
  4. Close the buckle again.

The most common design for a Saumur in any size is the classic Louis Vuitton monogram print. But it has also been available in Damier Ebene, Damier Azur, and Mini Lin (since 2010 known as Idylle), a smaller monogram print with a more cotton feel. There have been ‘special editions’ of the classic Saumur bag. Like the Saumur Flore perforated, showed in the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 ad campaign.

Louis Vuitton Saumur bag in 2012 Collection in Monogram canvas and white perforated

Images for the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 campaign with the Saumur - Style Rumor

The different sizes of the bag

The Saumur bag comes in three different sizes/models; Louis Vuitton Saumur 30, Louis Vuitton Saumur 35, and Louis Vuitton Saumur 43. The names are determined by the width of the bag in centimeters. The size difference between these three models make them feel like completely different bags, instead of just a smaller or bigger version of one bag. All three models are ideal for different purposes. Unfortunately, Louis Vuitton decided to discontinue the Saumur around 2010.

Size comparison of Louis Vuitton Saumur 30 vs 35 vs 43

The different sizes of the Louis Vuitton Saumur - Yoogi's Closet

To everyone’s surprise, Louis Vuitton reintroduced the Saumur around 2017. However, there were some changes and redesigns involved. Not all sizes survived the discontinuation, only the Saumur 30 and Saumur 35 were reintroduced, but under a new name; Saumur MM (same as 30), and Saumur GM (same as 35).

Measurements

Saumur MM (30)

Saumur GM (35)

Saumur 43

30 x 24 x 12 CM

35 x 30 x 12 CM

43 x 30 x 24 CM


The reintroduction also meant a bit of a redesign. The ‘new’ Saumur is complemented by golden color metallic pieces, and cowhide leather trimmings. The monogram canvas has a slightly different look; looking much sharper. While the leather, under which the shoulder strap, looks more beige. Due to patina, the coloration process of the iconic Louis Vuitton leather, this light beige will turn into the darker brown we all know and love. As well as an extra leather tag in the middle that reads: ‘Louis Vuitton Paris’.

The Louis Vuitton Saumur cross body in vintage and new comparisonThe old and the new Saumur - Brag my Bag 

The Louis Vuitton website nowadays only shows the Saumur MM. However, you are still able to find different sizes and designs of this bag on the preloved market. If you are looking for your own Louis Vuitton Saumur, we are happy to tell you that we have different sizes available on our website. You can check them out via this link.

With love, Jessica

Sources:
Style Rumor 
Yoogi's Closet
Brag my Bag 
Louis Vuitton 
The Luxury Closet 

 

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