Hi there, I would be really grateful for a bit of a clue on the sizes of City bag. I am looking at one currently for sale online, which says it measures 13.5 inches long by 9 inches high by 4.5 inches deep at the bottom, 2.5 inches deep at the top. Does this sound right? I have spent hours scrolling through the City photos on here, and some of the City bags look perfect, mid size bags, but others are really big! I realise that often it is hard to get an idea of scale, but am worried because I know people don't always measure or list correctly, and this is a lot to spend on a bag which I cannot return (though I guess if the size is radically different to listing, I could legitimately say it is not as listing....). I would prefer to know if this is likely to be correct sizing? I definitely don't want a whopper of a bag, (I would only fill it and give myself a bad back!). Thank you so much x
City size confusions
- Thread starter sallylou9
- Start date
As far as I know, there are three standard sizes to the city bag (There was also a Nano and XL at some point, maybe seasonal though). The Mini, the Small (usually also just marked with a 'S') and the regular one are the sizes that are available right now.
The Mini should be 9.4 x 6.2 x 3.5
The Small should be 12 x 7.5 x 4
The regular size should be 14.8 x 9.4 x 5.5
So I'm not quite sure which size the one on your listing should be.. maybe the regular size though. It all depends if the sellers use the official sizing from Balenciaga or actually take their bag and measure it. Sometimes they sag a bit so it's hard to measure the bag properly, that's the only reason I can think of for the sizing being a bit off. But maybe you can just ask the seller which one it is, the small or regular city?
The Mini should be 9.4 x 6.2 x 3.5
The Small should be 12 x 7.5 x 4
The regular size should be 14.8 x 9.4 x 5.5
So I'm not quite sure which size the one on your listing should be.. maybe the regular size though. It all depends if the sellers use the official sizing from Balenciaga or actually take their bag and measure it. Sometimes they sag a bit so it's hard to measure the bag properly, that's the only reason I can think of for the sizing being a bit off. But maybe you can just ask the seller which one it is, the small or regular city?
Thank you Julia, maybe it is the regular size. She said it was 'medium'. I have asked seller to measure again to check 
I am wondering if I would be better going for the classic Velo instead. Am i right to think this bag is smaller in length and height than the City regular, but a bit fatter? Quite like the idea of a cross body strap too.....
I am wondering if I would be better going for the classic Velo instead. Am i right to think this bag is smaller in length and height than the City regular, but a bit fatter? Quite like the idea of a cross body strap too.....
I have both and prefer the Velo personally. Here's a comparison pic, these are older bags. Velo left, city right. I like the extra height on the Velo and of course you have a cross body option.Thank you Julia, maybe it is the regular size. She said it was 'medium'. I have asked seller to measure again to check
You've already gotten some excellent responses as to the exact measurements of the various City bags. Just wanted to add something that many of us have noted as we use our "regular sized," Cities. When brand new, and slightly stiff, that size seems so much larger than it will appear and feel after a few weeks/months of use. The leather is going to slouch and soften, and that will make the bag look and feel more delicate, and far less bulky. I don't think I'd have purchased a single City bag, had I tried one on in a boutique.
Also, as to the "bad back," all of Bal's bags (those without giant hardware) are feather light. Even the larger Work and Weekender weigh just a smidge more than what is inside. 
When looking at the measurements I think the city small size is super close to the Bal first
I found a city on Fashionphile which they call a city officer but the measurements are like the regular city. It all gets a bit confusing sometimes I agree when trying to find your perfect bag
I found a city on Fashionphile which they call a city officer but the measurements are like the regular city. It all gets a bit confusing sometimes I agree when trying to find your perfect bag
Are you sure it didn't say officier, which is a colour? Sort of a very dark navy/purple.
Oh my arent I the dummy now hahaha of course it says officier, but its looks black so the thought didnt occur to me. Well the good thing is that i will never ever forget this now haha thank you for clarifying, one less confusing thing in my head. And I should really dive into to the name of the colours on the Bals
The colours can be pretty confusing at best, check out this thread if you haven't already seen it. (There are a few from around 2010 missing but @Addy will be adding them back on).
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/color-charts-by-year-all-in-one-place.141901/
To be honest you're better off once you know the name of the colour to google "Balenciaga officier" or whatever, and to search the reference threads and the clubhouse threads. The charts can be very misleading on what some of the colours actually look like but it's a great reference for nailing down colours within a season. Note that they're not alway complete either so don't rule a bag out because you can't find it on the chart. It's not an exact science by any meansOh I had totally missed that! Thats really helpful thank you for showing me that. Great way to compare and see how the colours really look like, like that officierhaha
.To be honest you're better off once you know the name of the colour to google "Balenciaga officier" or whatever, and to search the reference threads and the clubhouse threads. The charts can be very misleading on what some of the colours actually look like but it's a great reference for nailing down colours within a season. Note that they're not alway complete either so don't rule a bag out because you can't find it on the chart. It's not an exact science by any means
Yeah that sounds like a good idea, I tried to search it just on google but didnt really help just got black bags, well they looked black to my eye haha. Should have just used the search option here at TPF. I was just reading on some topics and yes seems like a great way to know what season to search for when you fall in love with a special colour. I have some studying to do
Oh no not at all it can just be a help for a beginner like meDo you know how to do an advanced search?Yeah that sounds like a good idea, I tried to search it just on google but didnt really help just got black bags, well they looked black to my eye haha. Should have just used the search option here at TPF. I was just reading on some topics and yes seems like a great way to know what season to search for when you fall in love with a special colour. I have some studying to do