The minimalist wallet

Review of the Comme Des Garçons pouch and zip around wallet

A few years ago I got tired of carrying around a large bulky wallet with receipts from purchases I made months before. So I decided the splurge on the iconic Comme Des Garçons pouch to do some serious downsizing. Nothing too fancy, just one compartment for everything. It worked wonderful for a while but I ended up missing a few sloths for my cards. So I upgraded to the zip around wallet with room for change and a few cards. I’ll keep it short and simple; if you are looking a classic and durable wallet for your basic nessesities, make sure to check these out.

There’s a CDG wallet for everyone. They come in many shapes and sizes and not to mention numerous colours. Obviously my favourites are the pouch and zip around wallet. I adore the sleek look of both designs. Mind you, I also like their embossed and glossy designs but you can never beat the classics. So simple black leather it was. Do you remember that small magic bag Hermione carried with her that held like a million things? Story of my life up until a few years ago. You can imagine that scratches were hard to avoid. I was a little disheartened upon the first scuffs and marks but let’s face it: it’s just a wallet. And it turns out all those scratches blend beautifully together and really soften the leather over time.

The stitching is amazing and very durable, as are the zippers. I bought the pouch in 2011 and the zip around wallet in 2013 and both still look like new apart from the scratches I mentioned above. The pouch doesn’t look as grey and washed out as it seems in the picture by the way. It’s just bad lighting and I didn’t want to photoshop it #keepingitreal. I have to admit though, I’ve been reaching for the pouch more than the wallet at the moment as I hardly use cash anymore. Just my bankcard, public transportation card, drivers licence and Museumcard and I’m good to go. But the zip around wallet is great for travelling so no money wasted there.

Both wallets fit easily into my Céline trio bag and A.P.C. half moon bag although obviously the pouch takes less space and is therefore my preferred option when I’m carrying these bags. The pricing is a bit steep. They’re not the cheapest wallets out there but the quality is outstanding. The pouch is €70 and the zip around wallet €150. If you don’t want to spend that amount on a simple wallet, I suggest looking into Everlane. They sell similar wallets such as the square zip wallet, for a more affordable price. Unfortunately I can’t comment on the quality but I’m sure there are some reviews floating around on the internet.

review comme des garcons wallet daarboven2

Features of the pouch:
– All leather
– Zip fastening along the top
– Gold toned hardware
– Gold stamped logo on the outside
– Made in Spain
– 10 (h) x 14 (w) x 1 (d) cm

Features of the wallet:
– Alle leather
– Zip closure all around
– Four card sloths
– One bill compartment
– Separate coin pouch
– Gold toned hardware
– Gold stamped logo on the inside
– Made in Spain
– 10 (h) x 12 (w) x 2,5 (d) cm

Tell me, what kind of wallet do you own? And do you have any other recommendations for wallets?