2018 Celine Medium Strap Wallet Review (vs. 2013 Celine Zip Around Wallet) {Updated January 2021}

Hi guys, so for my bag-people readers this one's for you.  My high-end bag and SLG (small leather good) addiction doesn't normally translate to the ethical fashion world, except I hope for the most part Celine and other brands I support are paying their workers fairly.  H&M they are not.  But I get it, I'm lucky and most people are not looking to buy Celine wallets.  However, if you're looking for a bag or wallet to be a workhorse for years (if not decades) then I recommend getting luxury accessories secondhand.  That's how I got my 2013 Celine zip around wallet (from my favorite secondhand seller, Fashionphile).  And well I'm doing this review for you today to let you know that used can definitely be better than new.

So I got my new medium strap wallet from my mom as a birthday present (I'm so grateful!).  I've been wanting a new wallet because even though I love my pink zip around wallet, I really wanted a bill fold to hold cash.  I don't do well when I have to neatly tuck my bills in a gusset, which is what I was doing with the zip around wallet, because I'm not neat (maybe my new blog name could be The Messy Blogger lol).  I hated fumbling and unfolding all my cash, especially since most of the time the bills were crumpled.  So when I saw this medium strap wallet, I knew it was the right one for me.  It has more than enough card slots for me plus it has a bill fold.

But here's the thing, in this day and age of a highly competitive market, even Celine has taken to cutting some corners.  One of the biggest difference between my 2018 wallet and 2013 wallet is that the card slots of my 2018 wallet are no longer all leather like they are in my 2013 wallet.  Celine has taken to making the slots (at the bottom where you can't see it) out of nylon.  My 2013 zip around wallet is all leather.  It's not a big deal but that's a sign of a loss of quality.  Also the leather quality of the zip around wallet is all around better.  I've only had the strap wallet for a couple months and already there's quite a bit of scratches on the soft leather interior. 

But in the end, I really like my new wallet for the added functionality.  However, I'm keeping the pink one as a back-up for it's durability.  But either way I'm set in terms of wallets for at least a decade now so this should be my last review of wallets ever (I hope!) lol. 

Also here's my original review of the 2013 zip around Celine wallet and how it compared to Everlane's.

And you can find my other Celine reviews here.

{January 2021 Update: I still have my strap wallet and I love it! It hasn’t worn much and I’m impressed how well its held up. A winner for sure!}

Everlane Square Zip Wallet Review vs. Celine Zip Wallet

Hi guys, so here's a review of Everlane's Square Zip wallet and a comparison with a Celine zip wallet (which I purchased used form Fashionphile at 30% off their own discounted price).  I know I know, I broke my ban by purchasing the Celine wallet, but I was really in a dire need for a new wallet (and I mean dire).  For the last couple years I've been using a Comme des Garcons pouch (like this one) to store all my cash and cards, and so whenever I went to the store to pay for something, I would have to shuffle my cards like I was dealing a deck of cards to find the right credit card.  Before it wasn't a huge deal since I didn't have too many cards.  But now I also carry around credit cards for the business (and throw in some gift cards), and there I am standing shuffling cards for a good minute (plus for some reason all my credit and debit cards are same shade of metallic blue, so it's so hard for me to distinguish them at a quick glance.  There's been a couple times I've charged personal items to the business which my husband was none too happy about).  So I just got to the point that I couldn't handle it anymore.  I needed some organization in my life!

Of course I could have just gone with the Everlane wallet since I would be purchasing it on credit (and that fit with my random rules I made for my shopping ban).  But at the same time, if this is something I'm going to be using everyday (and multiple times a day), I wanted to make sure it was the best possible wallet for me.  I really didn't want to just go with the Everlane one, and then find out a week or month later that I'm not really a fan of the wallet.  And then what?  Buy another one?  So I decided from the get-go to give myself some options. And so I wanted to compare it to one of the best luxury leather goods brand that I know of: CELINE (plus I've tried LV and Chanel wallets in the past and IMHO, they're ok but you're paying A LOT for the brand name).  Plus I had just spotted this zip wallet on Fashionphile at a price point that was really really good for Celine (ok it was still double the price of the Everlane wallet, but it was less than half the the original price of a new Celine wallet which can be in the low $600s).

Ok, so did I justify the purchase enough?  Lol, these are all the things I told myself when buying the Celine wallet for "research purposes".  Anyway onto the review!  I purchased the natural leather color for the Everlane wallet, which is the most delicate of the three colors.  A wallet like this would definitely show wear over time, so it's probably best to protect it with something like this Chamberlain's Leather Milk, formula 3 (P.S. I will be doing a review of their new reforumlated leather milks soon!  I really love their stuff to protect and condition all my leather items).  But the natural leather will also show a beautiful patina with age, if that's something you like.  I liked that the Everlane wallet also has a billfold for neatly storing cash.  But unfortunately that wasn't enough to make me want to keep the wallet.  Basically this wallet was too small for my needs, especially when it came to the cards department (which as you recall, is the main reason I needed to buy a new wallet).  

As you can see there's only 4 card slots on one side of the wallet, a bulky coin purse that takes up the other side of the wallet.  I tried fitting all my cards (and even trying to put some cards in the coin purse, which only barely fit 2 cards by the way).  But the wallet wouldn't even close (plus I didn't want to force it since I wanted to make sure I didn't damage the wallet).  

So in the end, the Celine wallet came out as the winner for me.  Even though it's about an inch wider than the Everlane wallet, it has a total of 8 card slots, plus 4 side slots that can fit flat items wider than a credit card (and one of those side slots has a gusset).  And so it fit all my cards!

Unfortunately it doesn't have a bill fold, so I stash my cash in the gusset pocket (which to be honest, holds all my cash adequately).  The Celine also was a winner because it's made from patent leather on the outside, which is so much more durable and less prone to wear than regular leather.  Plus I liked that the inside is made from a dark leather to show less wear inside as well.

Now I know some of you may be thinking, well duh I would like the Celine wallet better because CELINE!  But I really tried to look at the two wallets from a quality and utility stand point and not just because of a brand name.  And to be honest I really wanted to come out of this little experiment saying "yes, the ethical brand is just as good if not better than a luxury brand" in order to push my fair fashion agenda.  But in the end, when comparing the two compact wallets, I had to go with the one that fit my lifestyle best (one that's filled with plastic cards, lol).  And to be honest I haven't my regretted my decision one bit. 

So referring back to the image from my post on Monday, if I couldn't find what I need from a fair fashion brand, at least I purchased something "vintage" (or just plain used).  And I think when you buy used luxury items, you do get a good bang for your buck since most well-made luxury items are meant to last.  At least this Celine wallet, which I love love love, fulfills #2, #3, and #4 of that ethical closet pyramid (plus I plan to #1 it for a long time to come).  

Here are some other used Celine wallets that are currently for sale at my favorite luxury reseller Fashionphile.

P.S. A quick note about Fashionphile: I've been purchasing items from them for years and I would say most of the time their descriptions are accurate and the items are genuine.  And actually a couple purchases were even better than described (like this wallet--it was almost brand new to me).  I have purchased some items in the past, where I wasn't too sure if they were authentic (in my amateur eye), but they have a super awesome return policy with free returns (just don't cut off the tags).  But I would say that 99% of their items are the real deal. And if you want to be even more certain of your purchase, you can always double check with the kind authenticators over at the PurseForum (just make sure you follow their format when asking for authentication and always TIA since they do this service for free).