do you know if grain de poudre is durable? I'm looking for durability comparison of various YSL leather types, and that one is just so beautiful!
YSL grain de poudre (GdP) and Chanel caviar are considered to be very durable, especially compared to other leathers offered by those houses. However, I have seen both GdP and caviar exhibit deep scratches, peeling grains, flattening of quilting (diamonds or chevron), etc. I would definitely recommend them for "thoughtful, regular" use--babying is not necessary, but they won't continue to look their best with blatant neglect or abuse either.
I have seen some envelope-style grain de poudre bags show scuffing on the corners and edges of the flaps. But these would happen with any other leather as well. I truly recommend people take care of their beautiful grained leather items. The only other widely available leathers (as far as I understand) that are more durable than imprinted grained calfskin would be top-quality, natural grained calfskin such as those offered by Hermes. Those do not peel; they can scuff but can be re-dyed and refinished.
There are also
different types of grain de poudre, as there are different types of caviar. If you look very closely at the card cases already posted, they exhibit the more 3d grains that are very shiny. These are very beautiful.
I am unsure whether my grain de poudre is the less shiny version, it looks like the Uptown wallet's grains are a little more flat. It is subtler in regular lighting, but also shiny under my house's spot lights, or with bright sunlight, flashlight, etc. I love it either way since I was going for a simpler look -- I'm really loving the plain Uptown aesthetic with the bold, elegant YSL logo on top. I would have to be able to visit a YSL store in person to be able to compare but my city's store is still closed to the public.
For example, I saw both of these chevron-quilted wallets in person in March before the lockdown while debating which one to get. I can definitely verify that the smaller wallet is shiny grain de poudre (and FAR more beautiful of the two), while the larger compact wallet was dull-looking in store:
I do not know if YSL has gotten a new supplier for a different type of GdP going forward, or they are just selecting different types of GdP for different products. If you go for a chevroned item, make sure it is the shiny GdP, it makes the quilts pop so much more.
As an aside, LV canvas is very, very durable. More durable to friction than most leathers, including caviar (IMO) if the canvas doesn't crack.