Originally Posted by crumpy

I have a St. Louis PM which I often use for travel. No problems with the corners and handles so far. The plus side is, I am usually the only one in the airport with a Goyard St. Louis. The down side of a Neverfull is, there will probably be twenty of you with the same bag.

Haha so true

Originally Posted by Edia

So if its for travel I should rather go for a Neverfull then? I want to throw in shoes and clothing and my toiletry bag you know? thanks for the reply! Guess its really all about how you handle your bags

I forgot to mention, I had a monogram GM Neverfull for about a year, before I sold it off. In comparison to the Goyard PM St. Louis, the canvas and vachetta leather handles were definitely stiffer. It could handle a netbook and such, though - so it was fairly durable. I sold it because my tastes changed and I no longer wanted a flashy bag. So I guess it depends on your taste - both are durable and can handle a large amount of items, given that they aren't too heavy.

I got a Goyard St. Louis PM last September, and I use it all the time for school. That means I usually end up stuffing if full of some pretty weighty things. So far, it has held up amazingly. There is some evidence of cracking at the handles, but that's it. Paint, corners and shape have all been great. I love this bag!

I also vacillated between a Goyard and a Neverfull, but like previous posters have already said, the NF is stiffer and the base is boxier and sticks out further. Personally, I found the Goyard much more comfortable to carry, so that's why I went for it.

Hope this helps!

My SA at Barney's cautioned me not to overstuff my St. Louis - he said that it can't hold nearly the weight of a NF. But since I have and love both, I don't care! If I have a lot of weighty stuff to carry, I pull out the NF. Personally, I use my St. Louis as a handbag!

Originally Posted by Jale2286

In comparison to the Goyard PM St. Louis, the canvas and vachetta leather handles were definitely stiffer.

Originally Posted by glendaPLEASE

I also vacillated between a Goyard and a Neverfull, but like previous posters have already said, the NF is stiffer and the base is boxier and sticks out further. Personally, I found the Goyard much more comfortable to carry, so that's why I went for it.

I like the stiffness i have to say

@glendaPLEASE
its interesting how very different people experience their st. louis in terms of durability. but im glad yours is holding up so well!

Originally Posted by SassieMe

My SA at Barney's cautioned me not to overstuff my St. Louis - he said that it can't hold nearly the weight of a NF. But since I have and love both, I don't care! If I have a lot of weighty stuff to carry, I pull out the NF. Personally, I use my St. Louis as a handbag!

I never thought of it as a regular handbag! but that might be the best way to use the st. louis. but then the PM would be sufficient in sice for me i think.

Originally Posted by shpahlc

I've always been a huge fan of Goyard, and still am, but am quite disconcerted about their policies. LV is looking more appealing these days, as their policies are a lot more user friendly...

Im so concerned about that fact! I know people who got their LV replaced for less reason. At that price I expect a little more service than "youre out of luck".
i think the ambassade is not as "fragile" as the st. louis so ill probably rather get an ambassade i guess. though the st. louis is just too cute
But as SassieMe suggested using it as a handbag and not as a workhorse (as I intended to) is probably the best way.

Everyones so helpful here

Thank you all

Originally Posted by Edia

I never thought of it as a regular handbag! but that might be the best way to use the st. louis. but then the PM would be sufficient in sice for me i think.

I have a great base shaper for it as well as a purseket, both of which help give it structure. I drive to work, and am always poking around in my bag for lip gloss or sunglasses, so I have to have a bag that doesn't fold up when it sits next to me on my car seat.

Originally Posted by SassieMe

I have a great base shaper for it as well as a purseket, both of which help give it structure. I drive to work, and am always poking around in my bag for lip gloss or sunglasses, so I have to have a bag that doesn't fold up when it sits next to me on my car seat.

SassieMe....can you tell us more about the base shaper you have? My St.Louis PM arrives tomorrow, so I have no first hand knowledge of the structure, but it does appear much less rigid than the LV NF that I own.

Originally Posted by Miss Kittay

SassieMe....can you tell us more about the base shaper you have? My St.Louis PM arrives tomorrow, so I have no first hand knowledge of the structure, but it does appear much less rigid than the LV NF that I own.

The St. Louis is a very very soft bag - which is part of the appeal to a lot of folks. I may go back to its original shape, but right now wanted something easier for me to handle.

i just happened to have a small collection of base shapers for my various LV bags: the NF, Speedy, Totally, Galliera. One of them fit inside perfectly. It's clear so it's not that noticeable. I've been trying to find one that's white.

I should caution you that this type of base shaper may cause the bag to wear from the inside. I haven't had mine long enough. I know that some folks recommend using something a bit softer like cardboard that they cut out. Or I found someone who had used the bottom of one of those shopping totes that you find in various stores. Those all sound a bit gentler.

Could you post pictures of your St. Louis with the reinforced corners SassieMe?? I would love to see what it looks like :) TIA!!

Originally Posted by SassieMe

Thanks! I can't wait to get it back so that I can wear it!

Originally Posted by emh29

Could you post pictures of your St. Louis with the reinforced corners SassieMe?? I would love to see what it looks like :) TIA!!

Work is really frantic right now, but I'll do it as soon as I can. Actually, I'm kind of disappointed in it and wish that I hadn't done it. It looks small and not very attractive, IMO.

Originally Posted by SassieMe

About the corner wear, I've seen some really bad examples of really badly worn corners. But I understand from my Barneys SA that you can get the corners reinforced with leather. So I decided to get mine done right away, rather than wait until they started to wear!

Did you get your corners reinforced through Barneys or Goyard? Or just through a private shoe repair-type shop? Would you mind posting pics of your reinforced bag? I have a black GM, still in pristine condition, and I have to agree that it would be a better idea to get the leather reinforcement done before any scrapes to the corners. Thanks

Originally Posted by suemb

Did you get your corners reinforced through Barneys or Goyard? Or just through a private shoe repair-type shop? Would you mind posting pics of your reinforced bag? I have a black GM, still in pristine condition, and I have to agree that it would be a better idea to get the leather reinforcement done before any scrapes to the corners. Thanks

I got the corners reinforced at Barneys - I'm sure that they send it to an authorized Goyard facility. As soon as I get a break at work, I'll post photos. I decided to get them done because I had run into a woman in Saks who had holes in all 4 corners.

I thought it would be better to anticipate those problems because mine also was pristine. (still had the tag on it!) And I thought it would make it distinctive because my SA had advised agains painting a St. Louis because they are flexible and the paint tends to peel.

Originally Posted by SassieMe

I got the corners reinforced at Barneys - I'm sure that they send it to an authorized Goyard facility. As soon as I get a break at work, I'll post photos. I decided to get them done because I had run into a woman in Saks who had holes in all 4 corners. I thought it would be better to anticipate those problems because mine also was pristine. (still had the tag on it!) And I thought it would make it distinctive because my SA had advised agains painting a St. Louis because they are flexible and the paint tends to peel.

Thanks for the info. Would you happen to recall how much they charged you for the corner reinforcement? Also (sorry about bugging you with all these questions), which Barneys -- in NY?

Originally Posted by suemb

Thanks for the info. Would you happen to recall how much they charged you for the corner reinforcement? Also (sorry about bugging you with all these questions), which Barneys -- in NY?

Costs $125 - or it did cost that. I had it done a few weeks before the price increase. I had it done in Boston, but I'm sure that you can have it done at any Barneys.