Identification
Louis Vuitton Keepall Sizes: 45, 50, 55 and 60
The Louis Vuitton Keepall comes in four sizes named for their width in centimetres. What 45, 50, 55 and 60 mean, what Bandoulière adds and how to date one.
By Josh Waller
The number in a Louis Vuitton Keepall’s name is its size. Sotheby’s describes four sizes, 45, 50, 55 and 60, each named for the bag’s width in centimetres.
The four Keepall sizes
| Name | Width | Sotheby's on travel |
|---|---|---|
| Keepall 45 | 45 cm | Suited to air travel as a carry-on |
| Keepall 50 | 50 cm | Suited to air travel as a carry-on |
| Keepall 55 | 55 cm | Suited to air travel as a carry-on |
| Keepall 60 | 60 cm | Too large to fit overhead, and better for long road trips |
Sotheby’s gives the width only, so this note lists no heights or depths. If the size is not known, the width is the measurement to compare.
What Bandoulière means
Sotheby’s says the Keepall can be bought with a detachable Bandoulière, a shoulder strap. A Keepall Bandoulière 55 is the 55 with that strap. The number still gives the width.
What comes with a Keepall
Sotheby’s says each size comes with a luggage tag, a padlock and a handle buckle.
How old the design is
Sotheby’s dates the Keepall to 1930. It describes a light, flexible bag with one large compartment that can be folded into the bottom of a suitcase.
It names Monogram canvas as the classic material, and also lists Damier Ebene, Damier Graphite, Monogram Eclipse and Epi leather.
The size does not date the bag
The size names a width, not a year, so it says nothing about when a bag was made. The date code says more.
Fashionphile says a Louis Vuitton date code is usually stamped on a leather tab sewn along a seam inside the bag, or on a tab at the edge of an interior pocket. It dates the first codes to 1982, so an earlier Keepall has none.
Type the code into the Louis Vuitton date code decoder to see which documented format window it matches. That is what the code says, not proof of when the bag was made.
What the app does with a Keepall
The Keepall is one of the documented Louis Vuitton families that a photo result in Vintage Handbag Identifier can name. The app names the family or an era. It does not name an exact model for Louis Vuitton, and it does not authenticate a bag or estimate what one is worth.