Use of Bolides Big and Small

K

Kellybag

O.G.
Mar 9, 2006
15,194
31
#1
I did not want this to get buried in the "Ode to Bolide" thread since it is a very long thread, so I started a new thread for quick reference.:yes: Hope you all are ok with that.

I have been wondering those who have owned either size...once you purchased and used the one size were there any regrets and did you wish you chose the opposite size? Can you share your viewpoints on this? You know...if you bought 31, did you realize after a bit you should have purchased a 37 or vice versa?

OR

If you own one now, please let us know the pros/cons of your size.
 
#2
I love my 31. I don't have a 37. My reference point, in all fairness though, is the 35 Birkin. I am 5'6". The 31 is great because it holds plenty of stuff but is very light and serves a "handbag" role in addition to being useful for carrying things. No regrets at all!!
 
#3
Hi KB! You know my opinion on this- bought a 37 mou and never looked back!! I love it and can't wait for another one! I find the 37 surprisingly light-carried my 35 birkin shopping the other day and it seemed somewhat heavy compared to my bolide.

No regrets- just wish I could afford mutiple colors!
 
#4
Pepper...I love your potiron! Would you ever consider a 37? Do you ever feel the 31 is too small?

PGN...Would you always buy 37's or do you think you would ever buy a 31?
Are you loving that birkin??? We need a picture of you modeling that birkin soon.
 
#5
Kellybag said:
Pepper...I love your potiron! Would you ever consider a 37? Do you ever feel the 31 is too small?

PGN...Would you always buy 37's or do you think you would ever buy a 31?
Are you loving that birkin??? We need a picture of you modeling that birkin soon.
Click to expand...


KB: I think it depends on your needs. I use 35 Birkins for work and need the width and structure to hold files, papers, and occasionally a small laptop. I need the 31 Bolide as an easy-access, multipurpose handbag. So I can bring it to work if I don't need many things that day, I can take it out as a daytime handbag if I am not at work (almost never happens!), and I can also use it as an evening handbag. If I need more space, it would be for daytime, and I'd use a 35 Birkin, but it is MUCH heavier. While I like the 37 in principle, I think that since I have such a 35 Birkin-heavy collection (literally and figuratively), that the 37 is less useful for me...but it's a great bag and if you needed more space than the 31 permits, it would be very useful and definitely lighter and easier to carry than a 35 Birkin given its slim profile...
 
#6
I love the 31cm Bolide KB. I bought a 37cm and sold it to my sister-in-law. She loves it (she's about 5'6" and thin) and loved it on me, but I felt it was too large for my frame. I do love the 35cm Birkins and 35 Kellys, but the 37 Bolide somehow felt too bulky for me. I am 5'3" and average American weight.
 
#8
I like my 37cm because I like the easy access on top for casual days, but I wouldn't mind re-visiting the 31cm again for those days when I want to carry less. Both sizes worked on me, but I chose the 37 in Clemence in the end since it suited my daily needs better, because I am partial to bigger bags, and because it was just seemed easier to get into than the 31cm.
 
#9
KellyBag, my Bolide is a 31 and it's in mou clemence. This one thing makes a big difference in how it feels and the ease of access in comparison with the more structured non mou Bolide 31. Same for the 37 size.

Just something to consider when thinking of the size comparisons.

A short story......Hermes sent to me, by mistake, a 37 Bolide ( supposed to be 31 ) in Fjord. It was lovely.....I carried it around my office just to try it and did not feel it was overly large. I do not remember the depth ( front to back ) but depth in a bag is more likely to influence on how big a bag feels to me, rather than width, left to right.
 
#11
I have two 31s, rigid. I love the size and profile. I have a 35 and 32 Kelly and am 5'9"; I feel the 35 Kelly is about as big as I want to go with my frame. I don't like a huge huge bag. I do not know how a 37 feels, so I can't say for sure I would dislike it, but I LOVE how the 31s feel. Plenty of room for me inside as well.
 
#12
I am 5'9", too, and have a 31 mou bolide in chocolate clemence. I have never tried on a 37, but the 31 forces me to keep my life edited a bit, and not just stuff everything I can in. I feel it is exactly the right size and shape, always looks professional for work, holds one heck of a lot. I have two agendas, an azap long that has plenty of stuff in it, a hard-sided glasses case, a piccolo, my cell phone, a compact, and two sets of keys. Nothing rattles around in there, but it isn't overstuffed. Oh, sometimes I put a digital camera in, too.

It is my very favorite bag. It is also totally under the radar. I also have a 32 kelly sellier, and it holds all the same stuff, but not with the same ease, and feeling that I am anonymous! If I decide to expand my Hermes collection (say, should I win the lottery), I would want a 31 bolide in a bright color! (And a 35 kelly retourne...among other things.)

Have fun picking one out!
 
#13
Greentea said:
KB, are you plotting a Bolide soon? :smile:
Click to expand...

As you see in my avatar it reads "Birkinless". I must first own one birkin GT. After I make it into the "I own a birkin" stage I can possible purchase a Bolide! Right now, I am in the "Bolide Research Phase".

Thank you everyone for all your advice, pointers, notes etc.
 
#14
Bolide owners...when you stuff your bag with your goods (especially you 31 owners)...I just wondered if you stack things on top of the bottom level of the bag or it all fits one level. I hope you know what I mean? Like, do you feel you need to stack on top of your things and go towards the top of the bag?
 
#15
KB, I am also a 31 Bolide owner. I'm only 5'4" so I personally feel overwhelmed by the larger bags. I even decided against the 35 Birkin (which is one reason why I'm still Birkinless) because I felt is was too large on me. If I have to carry my laptop or work files with me, I prefer to do it separate from my handbag. I think I know what you mean by "stacking" and yes, my checkbook is usually somewhere on the bottom with my wallet above it. Thiangs aren't stacked that high, but I don't think I carry as much as some here do (e.g., I don't carry an agenda or notepad in my bags, just my blackberry).
 
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