If you've had your eye on the trending YSL vanity bag, we've tracked down a lookalike that gives you the style of its designer counterpart without the price tag, and it's the perfect pre-season purchase to get you in the mood for autumn.
One of the unique autumn/winter handbag trends 2025 we've spotted on the catwalk is the return of the vanity bag. Sent down the runway in all shapes, sizes, and colour variations, the YSL vanity bag is one of our favourite designer iterations of the trend. Characterised by quilted overstitching, a gold zip front design, and a curved silhouette which mimics a classic cosmetic carrier bag, this handbag offers a sleek, vintage-inspired design that has been gaining traction in recent seasons.
And while we'd all love to snap up the Saint Laurent vanity bag, the high price point – £1,640 – makes this handbag a considered investment piece over a quick buy. Luckily, we've found a designer lookalike from Charles & Keith that offers a similar aesthetic for just under £70.
Shop YSL Vanity Bag & Lookalike
This YSL vanity bag features a diamond-quilted overstitching in soft lambskin leather and a front signature YSL logo in bronze-tone hardware. It's also fully lined with leather and features an adjustable and removable strap, so you can wear it as a crossbody bag too.
Featuring a top handle design, a front zip, and a diamond quilted material, this petite handbag offers a striking resemblance to the Saint Laurent vanity. Its small design makes it the perfect occasionwear accompaniment. The detachable crossbody strap offers multiple ways to wear.
Although the Charles & Keith lookalike is not made from a supple leather like the YSL vanity bag, it certainly delivers in terms of style and look. Both bags feature a diamond quilted material, which adds to their vintage-inspired appeal; they both mimic the same curved silhouette of a vanity bag, and have metallic front zips.
If you are looking for one of the best designer bags to invest in, this YSL find is certainly worth considering, especially as Saint Laurent bags regularly hold their worth, although if you simply want to get the look for less, and you're shopping on a high-street budget, the Charles & Keith top-handle vanity bag fits the bill perfectly.
What's great about this petite vanity style is that you can style it with a myriad of outfits. From finishing off your occasionwear like the best wedding guest dresses to styling with your favourite denim jeans, the options are endless. The black hue only adds to the versatile styling options, although if you are looking for more variation, it also comes in a light pink or a rich cream colourway as well.
Vanity case bags featured heavily in the upcoming season's runways, making them a great accessory style to choose to pep up staples in an autumn capsule wardrobe. From Victoria Beckham to Hermès, designer brands have heavily featured this vintage style; it's a style that will keep coming back around. Characterised by a small, structured design and usually a top handle finish, vanity case bags offer just enough room for your essentials and feel effortlessly classic.
Whether you opt for a more high-end, luxury design like the YSL vanity or hunt for some stylish high-street alternatives, we'd recommend investing in this nostalgic bag style to get ahead of the autumn/winter handbag trends.
