Are PS1s sturdier than they used to be?

serenityneow · Jul 21, 2023

Hey Proenza fans, I have two calfskin PS1s that I love, but I never liked the slouchy look the lambskin versions got over time. I can’t remember the last time I considered a lambskin one, but I am now and just ordered an oxblood Tiny and an oxblood Medium on sale. The leather on both definitely seems thicker than I remember. Has it changed? If so, are the bags holding their shape better than they used to? I know I’m not going to keep the Tiny but am torn on the Medium. I’d use it for travel and would not baby it.

Interestingly, the leather on the Tiny seems slightly thicker than the leather on the Medium, and the color is a little different too. The website says that the Tiny is “100% leather” while the Medium is “100% lambskin,” so I asked if the Tiny is calfskin. PS Customer Service said they are both lambskin. Weird.

IntheOcean · Jul 22, 2023

First of all, Oxblood is a gorgeous color!

Secondly, older PS1s, especially those that have been used extensively, are definitely very prone to sagging and curling of the edges. I think newer ones are a bit sturdier. They will slouch with time, but not immediately and, I think, not to the same extent. And the Medium side will slouch more than the Tiny.

As for calfskin vs lambskin... I can only speak for older ones (my calf pouch was from 2013 and the lamb one was even older), but yes, lambskin was a bit thinner than calfskin, although it felt better to the touch. Perhaps if you took closeups of the both of them side by side we could try and guess if the Tiny could be calfskin? Although, from what I remember, leather type changed depending on the color, not the size of the bag, so if they're both Oxblood, then they're both made of lambskin, most likely. These could be just different batches of leather that took the dye a bit differently.

serenityneow · Jul 22, 2023

Thanks, and yes, I love oxblood with silver hardware. I had one years ago but sold it and went for calfskin in black. Now I‘ve made my way back, apparently. Here are closeup pictures of the two. The Medium is first and both the leather and color are prettier to me. The Tiny has slightly rougher leather and is brownish. PS customer service said these were both lambskin but I suppose they could have made a mistake. It is weird to me that the website describes the materials differently for the two bags.

I’d love to see some pictures of newer lambskin PS1s people have been using (and not babying) for one to three or four years. TIA!

IntheOcean · Jul 22, 2023

I think they're both lambskin. Farfetch says it's lambskin as well. I'd say they just used slightly different batches of leather, that's all. @Elliespurse, what do you think?

The Medium is a great everyday bag, and I wouldn't say lambskin would necessarily make it less of a workhorse. I had an Extra Large made of lambskin and it was very well made. It's going to slouch somewhat with use, I'm sure, but I don't think I saw any Medium PS1s in this new style (with the all-silver hangtag, etc.) on eBay and other resale platforms that were really saggy. They were just a bit less structured, that's all. But it would depend on the usage, of course.

serenityneow · Jul 23, 2023

Thanks. When did the style change? 2016?

I found my post from when I bought the older version (2015). It's interesting to compare the pictures.

REVEAL--my new oxblood medium PS1 -

I'm in love. I'd been looking for a burgundy or purple bag for fall when I stumbled onto this beauty. I don't know how it compares to the burgundy from a prior season (2011 maybe?), but it looks deeper, cooler, and more berry-toned from a comparison of the stock photos I was able to find...

forum.purseblog.com

IntheOcean · Jul 25, 2023

First update was in A/W 2013, when they changed the logos and the lining and simplified the details a bit, like removing the PS letters from the zipper pull tabs. And then in S/S 2020 they updated the bag again, this time more significantly, making the hangtag all metal, replacing the triangle interior with a plain one one and changing the hardware to a more sleek version.

Not all bags from these seasons were new, some colors were done in the old style and some (very few) bags even had parts of both old and new styles - I guess PS just used what they had. And the permanent colors - Midnight, Black and Smoke - could still be had in 2020 and later on in the old style, the one from S/S 2013 onward. Here's a Reference thread: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/proenza-schouler-ps1-satchel-reference-thread.673199/page-10

See here, for example. First picture is the old-old version (Sahara), the next one is the A/W 2013 onward (Pepe), the third one is the current one (Flame Red):

You can see the comparison between the 2nd and latest version here: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...reference-thread.673199/page-10#post-34399675

serenityneow · Jul 26, 2023

Thanks, IntheOcean. I reached out to PS, and they said they did modify the bags to be sturdier around 2016/2017, but are now moving back to the earlier construction. The quote is below. Hope this is helpful to others!

“I have received feedback from our team who confirmed that the internal construction and the leather of the PS1 bag were modified around 2016/2017 to give it more structure. However, as of Pre-Fall 2023 production, we actually started moving back to the original way of constructing the bag, with a softer, less covered leather.

The PS1 is actually designed to lose its shape over time, creating a very slouchy effect. It was the way the bag was originally introduced when it first launched and should be considered part of its unique character. Leather, being a natural material, is meant to wear over time and gain unique character.

If you prefer one of the stiffer PS1s, they should be one that is from before Pre-Fall 2023.”

IntheOcean · Jul 28, 2023

serenityneow said:
Thanks, IntheOcean. I reached out to PS, and they said they did modify the bags to be sturdier around 2016/2017, but are now moving back to the earlier construction. The quote is below. Hope this is helpful to others!

“I have received feedback from our team who confirmed that the internal construction and the leather of the PS1 bag were modified around 2016/2017 to give it more structure. However, as of Pre-Fall 2023 production, we actually started moving back to the original way of constructing the bag, with a softer, less covered leather.

The PS1 is actually designed to lose its shape over time, creating a very slouchy effect. It was the way the bag was originally introduced when it first launched and should be considered part of its unique character. Leather, being a natural material, is meant to wear over time and gain unique character.

If you prefer one of the stiffer PS1s, they should be one that is from before Pre-Fall 2023.”

Thank you for reaching out to them! This is actually very useful. Personally, I think the PS1 looks equally nice structured and slouchy. The Medium in Oxblood is part of the Pre-Fall Collection, I believe, not Spring Summer 2023.