Louis Vuitton Noé MM Monogram

Features

Why we love it

Description & history

A Louis Vuitton Noé MM bag in Monogram coated canvas · trim, drawstring and shoulder strap in naturally patinated vachetta leather · drawstring closure · shoulder carry · adjustable shoulder strap · date code AR · 1995 · 26 × 26.5 × 18.5 cm · grade B.

The Noé has one of the most practical origins in the Louis Vuitton catalogue. In 1932, a champagne producer asked the house for a bag capable of carrying five bottles — four upright, one upside down in the centre. The answer was this cylinder of supple canvas, closed with a simple drawstring, whose proportions stem directly from the problem it was designed to solve. It bears the name Noé, the man who planted the vine in Genesis.

What was meant to be a utilitarian container became one of the house’s classics, precisely because nothing was added to it. No clasp, no structure: the drawstring tightens in one movement, the bag opens wide when loosened, and the supple canvas takes the shape of whatever is placed inside. The adjustable shoulder strap is worn on the shoulder — a hands-free bag ahead of its time.

The MM format is the most balanced in the family. At 26 × 26.5 × 18.5 cm, it easily holds a tablet, cosmetic pouch, continental wallet, glasses case and phone. Here it comes in Monogram coated canvas, with trim, drawstring and shoulder strap in natural vachetta leather. Left untreated when it leaves the workshop, this leather gradually darkens through contact with light and hands: this one has developed a beautiful even patina. Its date code AR dates its manufacture to 1995 — a thirty-year-old bag with true vintage character.

Good overall condition, grade B — clean canvas with no flaws, beautiful even leather patina, clean interior with light signs of previous use. In the interest of full transparency: light rubbing to the drawstring and upper trim, a slightly marked base with darker patina in places, and visible patina on the hardware and rivets. All documented in the photos. Sold with dustbag and RARR Vintage certificate of authenticity.