Back in August I had a bit of a bag-buying spree that was kicked off by this navy Longchamp Le Pliage XS crossbody bag. I bought it during Nordstrom’s sale (which I wasn’t browsing intentionally—I went to pick up some Augustinus Bader Rich cream and then got sucked in). But it was so darn cute and just the kind of mini bag I was looking for: one that’s small but can still fit a lot. While I was at Nordstrom’s I also checked out the leather version of the XS bag, called the Le Pliage XS Cuir, but I didn’t really want to spend the extra $300+ for the leather upgrade. However when I saw this cuir version secondhand at the RealReal for just $20 more than what I paid for for the nylon one I couldn’t resist. And now I have two Le Pliage XS bags, but I plan to keep both!
First off, the Le Pliage XS bags are not to be confused with the Small Le Pliage Crossbody bags in leather, which are even smaller than the XS (and that’s confusing since you would think XS stands for “extra small”). And that’s not to be confused with the Small Original Le Pliage (which is the smallest version of the tote). Anyway the XS bags measure about an inch bigger all around and retails for about $100 more (at least in the leather versions—I don’t know if they made this in nylon). I don’t think they make it in the Small crossbody size anymore (at least it’s not on Longchamp’s website), but you still see some floating around at other retailers and on the secondhand market. I don’t think I could go smaller than the XS size, since that’s tiny enough for me. I should also mention there’s a City XS bag that looks to be an inch bigger than the XS, but the City doesn’t have top handles.
As for what fits in the Le Pliage XS? Pretty much all the essentials and then some. I can fit my card case, my sunglasses (with the case, which is kind of a big deal for a small bag), extra tissues, masks, hand sanitizer, mini etch a sketch for my girl to play with at restaurants, and my phone. You can see a quick video of it here (it’s the third video). In it, I called it “cute yet capacious” which sums it up perfectly.
Now, what’s the difference between the nylon version and the leather one other than the obvious difference in materials? First off, my favorite thing about the leather version is that the crossbody strap is a set length so there’s no extra strap length that hangs off like it does for the nylon version (see it circled in the photo above). The nylon version doesn’t even have a loop for that extra strap to tuck into so it just flaps about when you carry it by the short handles. The leather one doesn’t have that problem, but it does mean that it’s not adjustable (which could be a negative for some). Lucky for me the crossbody length is just right for my 5’4”, long-torso frame (it’s just a tiny bit longer than the adjustable strap on the shortest hole for the nylon XS bag). I should also mention that the leather used on the nylon version is quite stiff and plastic-y (what they call “Russian Leather”, which is unlike the buttery smooth leather of the cuir line (which uses metis leather—a combination of lambskin and goatskin). You can find more details about Longchamp leathers here. But from what I can tell, the current line of Le Pliage cuir bags are made from washed calfskin, which when I saw it at Nordstrom’s seemed just as buttery though possibly more delicate. My secondhand Le Pliage cuir in metis is great because it’s lightweight but also very durable and scratch-resistant.
Another difference between the nylon and leather versions is the placement of the hooks for the crossbody straps. On the nylon version it’s at the ends of the bag while on the leather version the hooks are at the base of the short handles. The benefit of having the hooks at the ends of the bag is that it makes it a bit easier to unzip when carrying the bag by the short handles, while for the leather version the crossbody straps can sometimes get in the way of zipping and unzipping. But if you load up the nylon version, because the crossbody attaches at the ends of the bag, the bag can start to take on a bit of a banana shape when it sags. And speaking of sagging, the leather version has a band of leather across the bottom to reinforce it, while the nylon one doesn’t. But again it’s not a problem as long as the bag isn’t overstuffed with heavy things.
And lastly on the inside, the leather Le Pliage has two pockets: one zippered and one flat, both of which can hold a card case. The nylon one has one flat pocket big enough for a card case, and a really tiny one that’s big enough for bandaids or a couple cough drops.
Anyway, we’ll see how these two bags wear over time. There’s the possibility that the leather one will start to stretch out and lose its shape, thus making the nylon one a better option. But the nylon Le Pliage bags also tend to have corner wear (which is what happened to my original Le Pliage medium tote). So we’ll see which one is the winner in the long run, but for now I enjoy both XS bags and plan to use them both routinely!
{May 2024 Update: So after having both bags for over half a year, I decided to sell the nylon one (over @fairlycuratedcloset) because I just never reached for it. I always went with the leather one because of the zippered pocket and the non-adjustable strap, even though I like the dark navy color of the nylon more. But the leather one is just more practical for me.}