Snob Essentials

Shania Twain’s Goyard ‘St Louis’ Tote: Snob or Slob?

shania twain.jpggoyard.jpg

I just don’t understand the appeal of Goyard. Seriously I’m hoping to be enlightened by some Goyard fans in the comments section! I know these bags are functional, but I don’t get their aesthetic appeal (especially given their prices). They look like something I should do my eco-conscious grocery shopping with. The detachable pouch is a useful touch I admit, but there’s something so teeny bopper about it.

What do you think about Shania Twain’s Goyard ‘St Louis’ Tote? Snob or Slob?

DO YOU LOVE IT OR HATE IT?

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42 comments

  1. I don’t find them less aesthetic or more of a rip than any other of the overpriced “canvas” monogram bags which are cynically fobbed onto their ovine buyers.

    Is brown plasticized “canvas” with gold-ish designs objectively more attractive than colored oil cloth?

    The Goyard bags are jaunty and certainly are functional as spare shlepping bags to squash into a suitcase or keep in one’s desk drawer.

    As to “value” — it would appear to be completely unrelated to any objective criteria and is driven by marketing and priced at what the market is perceived to be willing to pay.

  2. You can find light plastic bags at any Parisian market. For under 10 euros. No need to resort to this brand who touts itself as one equal to LV. I’m french and never heard of this brand until the Americans started marketing it.

  3. I happen to LOVE my goyard tote (the exact same one pictured above but in green). Yeah, maybe I fell for the trend but still, I love it! It fits all of my ssentials (wallet etc.), plus my towel, water bottle and yoga skiddles. I havent stopped using it since i bought this past May.

  4. Goyard is a french company older then Louis Vuitton or Hermes. They are well made and lowkey. I love my Goyard as I do my Hermes. Obviously not everyone appreciates it.

  5. I love Goyard. It is pretty popular in NYC. If you live in Manhattan, it makes sense why Goyard is popular. Unpredictable weather, dirty everywhere, constantly bumping into people, need to walk all the time, no cars to put your stuff and etc. It is very city-friendly bag.

  6. Quoting Brian on the Fashion Spot “yes…the fabric is canvas…but these bags are very special. they utilise a special hemp canvas that is created especially for goyard, and it is coated in natural rubber to make it water-resistant. the chevron pattern that you see on all of the bags is NOT a print… each and every bag is individually handpainted with a series of tan or white dots that make up the pattern”. In addition, there are only 15 locations worldwide where you can purchase Goyard. That means you won’t see “tweens”, teens and 20 something year olds with them at your local mall! Amen!

    1. PLEASE people STOP saying the dots are hand painted! Get your facts straight! the dots are NOT, NOT, NOT had painted. They were before WWII but now they are engraved. PLEASE SEE THE GOYARD WEBSITE. Its stated right there! The seriously ugly monograms are hand painted.

    2. Yeah, only 15 locations and China! I know so many people who bought the same bag for cheap (fake ofcs) but does pretty much what the original does for a higher price.

  7. Well said. I use my Goyard bag for travel and running around with kids. The bags are so well made, last forever and are not nearly as ubiquitous as LV.

  8. They are over priced and they clash with alot of what you wear. You can buy them here in Boston at NM. I do love their vintage trunks

  9. I don’t care how well-made, exclusive or French they are, those chevrons and studiously ugly 1970s colors are reminiscent of airplane seats.

    I am half French btw and there is a lot of crap made chez moi including by venerable and unbelievably snobby brands. We are VERY good at marketing luxury goods based on their “heritage” factor. But marketing is marketing is marketing, at the end of the day I think an intelligent consumer or fashionista should consider whether the item is desirable based on its own merits and not on hype. Prestige does not make a product awesome! If someone genuinely loves these bags for what they are and is willing to pay the price, more power to her, but I suspect a lot of people only get them for the “I have one and you don’t” (rapidly turning into the “look, I have one too”) factor.

    1. True. You can find these bags worn by the image-conscious drones of LA and those in Russian Hill and in the Marina in San Francisco. It’s all about marketing and if a Kardashian or or any pseudo celeb or super model shows up in People magazine with an accessory that immediately stirs one’s reptilian brain into buying a marker of status or sign of self-importance, suddenly the “it” product shows up everywhere in big cities. These bags look cheap, the pattern and colors are reminiscent of a 1970’s airplane seat (as mentioned in a previous post–good one) and they are no more functional or weather-proof than than the $1 totes sold at Trader Joes.
      I am a Los Angeles native, so I’m used to seeing this obsession with material representation of self-worth. Advertising had done a great job at manipulating our feeble senses since Freud’s brother learned its exploits in the early 1900’s. He understood that by eliciting our human need for social acceptance and love through forms of emotional manipulation, product sales could skyrocket. This Goyard trend is just testimony to that old truth.

      So, if you want to buy instance social acceptance and respect, buy a Goyard, drive a Tesla and wear Lulu Lemons to your Soul Cycle classes and everyone will know how important you are: )

  10. I totally agree with you. Goyard bags are getting popular for past few years but I don’t see why so appealing they are, or worse they don’t look pretty at all in my eyes. I admit that they’re versatile and durable but there’re tons of durable everyday bags in much prettier shape.

  11. I totally agree with you. Goyard bags are getting popular for past few years but I don’t see why so appealing they are, or worse they don’t look pretty at all in my eyes. I admit that they’re versatile and durable but there’re tons of durable everyday bags in much prettier shape.

  12. That’s it exactly, different lifestyles call for different bags. I live in NYC and am a big fan of Prada’s nylon bags because they suit my needs. I haven’t bought anything Goyard but can see how they would hold up well for someone living in a city who carries a lot of stuff around all day.

  13. @ Wendymal – well said, a bag’s worth is what it’s worth to YOU. Not based on heritage, pedigree, exclusivity or price. Silly people, are we ever going to get the point where we can stop thinking like a herd of cows and start thinking independently? It’s hard, but let’s elevate people!

  14. I have two Goyard bags. A Jeanene, I think is the name. It has black leather trim and a shoulder strap.It’s a great everyday or travel bag. Zipper top. Dome top.

    The other is the Saigon, which is a gorgeous bag. It has wood trim. a sort of mini trunk, and I bought the large size, which holds a lot. It has a wooden handle. I never carry this bag, that someone doesn’t stop me and ask where I got it and go on and on about how gorgeous it is.

    I don’t really like the St. Louis tote, but see it could be very practical. But Goyard makes some lovely bags and luggage. I prefer either the classic black or white chevron print. They are very well made.

  15. I have two Goyard bags. A Jeanene, I think is the name. It has black leather trim and a shoulder strap.It’s a great everyday or travel bag. Zipper top. Dome top.

    The other is the Saigon, which is a gorgeous bag. It has wood trim. a sort of mini trunk, and I bought the large size, which holds a lot. It has a wooden handle. I never carry this bag, that someone doesn’t stop me and ask where I got it and go on and on about how gorgeous it is.

    I don’t really like the St. Louis tote, but see it could be very practical. But Goyard makes some lovely bags and luggage. I prefer either the classic black or white chevron print. They are very well made.

  16. You’re French and have never heard of Goyard? Perhaps I’m simply an American princess, but I inherited my grandmother’s Goyard luggage purchased in the late 1950s. Catherine Deneuve (you’ve heard of La Deneuve, I assume) carries it exclusively… she prefers a cranberry shade. Look beyond this style of Saint Louis tote, my dear. Their other pieces are positively magical. The fact that I can travel with luggage that is around sixty years old is unfathomable. Goyard has been around (and will be around) because they are the best at what they do. Those who know will know.

  17. You’re French and have never heard of Goyard? Perhaps I’m simply an American princess, but I inherited my grandmother’s Goyard luggage purchased in the late 1950s. Catherine Deneuve (you’ve heard of La Deneuve, I assume) carries it exclusively… she prefers a cranberry shade. Look beyond this style of Saint Louis tote, my dear. Their other pieces are positively magical. The fact that I can travel with luggage that is around sixty years old is unfathomable. Goyard has been around (and will be around) because they are the best at what they do. Those who know will know.

    1. stop being such a precious bitch, this i an overrated brand thats is literally oozing in snobbiness and overdoing it. even on the fucking website. yes maybe the trunks are good, but they are impractical for travelling. and the fact that you carry around a 60 year old inherited trunk freely shows that you dont really appreciate the trunk.

  18. whoah!!!i just got one st.louis tote from a “second hand-salvation army-trash/treasure bazaar”..the”ukay-ukay” street bazaars which you can find in any city here in the philippines..i just dont know why the owner of this bag by mistake throw this off or whatever the reason a bag of this stature be seen in such a place,(it is still on its pristine condition!)i pay for only 100 pesos(roughly $1.75 USD!),i also got LV speedy 30 for only 1500 pesos (about $33USD!)..i know i bought a genuine bag because ive done my research..need to say about the prices of these bags???nah..(its a bargain u can never beat!)im really happy i have these luxuries even if it comes from a “hand-me-down” bazaars..the style and comfort of these bags are more than i could ask for..:D

  19. For those of that are not familiar with Goyard it is a very exclusive brand from France. It is meant to be casual but more importantly non-flashy. If you ever look at a piece it will say the name only once in very small print.

    As for quality it is for sure there. Yes it does compete with LV quality and also price wise.

    In a nutshell if want flash buy LV, if you want understated elegance buy Goyard

  20. For those criticizing Goyard, shame on you. Different from other flashy and uselessly expensive brands, Goyard bags lasts forever and they never rip and are easy to wash and hard to get dirty. Honestly, they are worth everyp penny. Everything fits in it, and the pattern is older than LV and Hermes. It means quality, taste and class, specially because the only people who know to recognize it are the only ones who are sophisticated enough to appreciate it.

  21. Goyard is actually only a year older then LV.. I simply googled that info since you seem to ‘know it all’ you ladies make me laugh.

  22. Goyard is actually only a year older then LV.. I simply googled that info since you seem to ‘know it all’ you ladies make me laugh.

  23. I really do not understand the fuss about this bag…As it looks like plastic, it looks cheap to me, however we all know that those bags can start at $1100 and in my personal opinion, just way too much money for a plastic bag. The personalized ones (with stripes and monograms) makes the bag even uglier. Moschino once said that “People like to pay for bad taste”. This is the perfect example to me.

  24. My husband tries so hard to find presents for me that I like. He goes to all my favorite stores and manages to buy the one thing I would never buy. So for our anniversary this year, he went to our chicest friend and asked her what to get me. She said either a Goyard bad or an Hermes clutch. He got me a Goyard bag. I opened it and thanked him. He could tell I did not like it. I reminded him of a story. Do you remember when I came home and told you about our chic friend complaining about some other friend copying her by going to Goyard in NY and getting a personalized tote. This must be a fabulous bag! I couldn’t wait to see it. And then I did. It looks like an oil cloth diaper bag. Now it seems everyone in Lake Forest has one. Really. My husband looked at the bag, agreed wholeheartedly. RETURN!

  25. i’m sorry this bag is ridiculously ugly…. and when i see it carried by women, i laugh in my head…. this bag is so extremely ugly that i wouldnt spend 5 dollars on it. if you are willing to spend money on a bag, get a celine or chanel or prada… because this St. Goyard is just evil and demonic!!! there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING special about it, it looks like the average generic bag… like it should be sitting on a shelf @ JC Penney…

    1. I feel the same about Prada bags. They aren’t very spectacular and fakes are everywhere since there isn’t much to them. Unlike the paint pattern on the Goyard.

  26. everywhere you look you will see the masses carrying LV, Gucci and Prada but it isn’t as common to see Goyard. Sure the St. Louis isn’t the best of their bags just like the neverfull isn’t the best LV. Goyard has some beautiful bags for those that don’t want a ” me to ” bag. Check out the Bellechasse or the Marquises both
    beautiful bags. Or just keep carring your LV like everyone else.

  27. Their bags and luggage in my opinion are quite beautiful . The company Goyard is more ancient than LV by one or two years.
    Their appeal is that they are not marketed, and the company reputation was build organically and rely on reputation alone. Their product are not sold in the internet. So usually the very wealthy purchases these bags, and therefore they are more rare which is what bring their appeal and desirability. For traveling, these suitcases luggage are not practical unless you travel first class or private Lear Jet and are not charged for your check in luggage or frequently are in a Safari in the Botswana with endless porters to carry and pamper these suitcases. Also if you travel a regular commercial airline you still risk to damage these suitcase depending who handle these bags.
    Imagine travelling with a $8000.00 roller suitcase, and praying during your flight that no one will steal it. How enjoyable is this!

    They are beautiful indeed but the price point is designed for people who have hefty disposable income

  28. I’m biased to Hermes. Goyard in my opinion is aesthetically unpleasant. The print just looks too busy trendy. Stick to the holy trinity: LV, Chanel, Hermes.