Bag review: YSL Saint Laurent wallet on chain & Cassandre purse (in comparison to Chanel WOC)

Saint Laurent bag, Express shorts, Ann Taylor sweater c/o, Ray Ban sunglasses

BP wedges (runs small), Kate Spade watch

I've gotten lots of questions about this Saint Laurent wallet on chain in caviar leather, and had been waiting to use it more before doing a formal review. Long story short, I�m in love with it and find it to be both beautiful and more importantly, super functional! 
My Chanel caviar wallet on chain is one of my top three favorite bags in my entire wardrobe, so I was thrilled to find a similar functional, convertible purse in a different color scheme. For all my trips this year I've been packing this one with me - it serves well as a cross-body for casual wear (above) and clutch for more formal events (ie. here), all in one.

Left: Saint Laurent wallet on chain - in 6 classic colors (mine is called light rose or pale blush)
Right: Chanel wallet on chain (not sold online)

The leather of the Saint Laurent is a pebbled textured caviar leather that feels sturdy, and is very easy to wipe clean. I take this bag everywhere and have had a few mishaps with food and drink, but thankfully everything has wiped right off. The interior of the bag has plenty of little details for organization, very similar to the inside of the Chanel WOC....
There are slots for over 20 cards, a larger pocket behind the back row of card slots, another larger pocket that my lower thumb is holding shut by accident, and a small zippered compartment. The chain strap is removable and snaps on and off. In comparison, the Chanel WOC strap does not come off so I just tuck it inside when using it as a clutch. Being able to remove it vs. having to tuck in is a nice option to have, when every little bit of interior space is valuable!

I usually carry the following inside: phone, keys, coins, bunch of cards, sunglasses (only case-less or very slim cases like the Ray Ban ones will fit), and makeup essentials like eyeliner, lip balm, and concealer.
Although the measurement of the Saint Laruent bag is notably bigger at 9" length x 6" height, it turns out the Chanel WOC does expand quite a bit in depth and can possibly fit the same amount of items. I have never carried sunglasses in my WOC bag though - I don't like expanding the bag quite so much as I'm afraid the snap button will pop open.

This brings me to my one and only complaint about the Saint Laurent bag - when the top is closed, there is a tiny gap which you can see below right where the chain comes in and out. Although it hasn't happened to me, I feel like small objects like a pen or eyeliner could potentially fall through. Hence I always keep important small things like keys in the zippered compartment.

Back view:

Here's how it looks with the chain detached:

Another thing I love about the Saint Laurent bag is the length of the chain strap is very petite-friendly! See how it compares to the Chanel WOC, for which I always have to tuck an extra length of the strap inside the flap of the purse. The Saint Laurent strap drop length measures approximately 19 inches.

I hope you guys found this review helpful! Let me know if you have any questions. By the way, Instagram friends know that I actually bought a different bag first - the Cassandre medium with tassel:

Be still my heart, I still find this to be an absolutely gorgeous and classic purse, down to the clean design and vintage YSL-inspired tassel. I had been looking everywhere for it and ended up having it shipped from a Saint Laurent store in PA. (Big FYI, their brick & mortar store policies are completely different than their online ones. They charge for shipping, and I was surprised to see on my receipt that there are no refunds - only store credit for returns within 10 days). However, upon careful inspection I noticed the bag arrived with scratches already on the calfskin. I felt that with my klutzy habits, this poor bag would be completely stained and scratched up in no time. I was able to return it despite the stringent store policy, due to it arriving damaged. It all worked out for the better because the caviar one is definitely the one for me, but I just wanted to share about the Cassandre for those interested!