Goyard started in 1792, long before it was called Goyard. That year Pierre-François Martin created Maison Martin in Paris as a box-making, trunk-making and packing business, and the house we know today grew out of it. Goyard says François Goyard took over after Louis-Henri Morel died in 1852 and renamed it, and the address that matters is still 233 rue Saint-Honoré.

 

I like starting any Goyard tote conversation with the canvas, because the canvas is the point. Goyard says Edmond Goyard created Goyardine in 1892, and that its dotted pattern forms a triple chevron shaped like a Y, the central letter of the family name. It is made by applying a ground color to bare linen and cotton canvas, then three layers of etched color by screen printing, which gives an embossed pattern. Goyard says it ages and develops a patina, which is a polite way of saying a pre-owned bag will already have a story.

 

Everything in this edit is secondhand, and every listing is a single piece, so think of it as a treasure hunt rather than a catalog. The Saint Louis is where it begins. Goyard says it was first designed as a beach bag, is named after King Louis IX of France, and is made from unlined Goyardine canvas, extremely lightweight and entirely reversible, with a removable inside pouch.

 

Start with the plain ones: the GM in black, the PM and GM in brown, and the PM and GM in gray. Goyard lists the GM at 40 cm long, 20 cm wide and 32 cm high, so hold something that size against your hip before you decide. The GM in navy blue and the PM in yellow are my picks if you want the dotted pattern to show up a little more. Then there are the odd ones: the Claire Voie in green PM, the Claire Voie GM in black, the Iridescent PM in green, and the two Reversibles with printed canvas, a PM and a GM in brown. I would try these on with a white shirt and jeans first. Past the plain ones there are more unusual finds: the PM in green, the GM in white, the XXL in black for the biggest carry, and the Claire Voie in pink, the Precious Metals in metallic brown and the Lettres Camouflage in black.

The Artois is the Saint Louis with a few more manners. Goyard calls it a structured, secure take on the Saint Louis, with four leather corners, a zip closure and a floating inside pocket. If you are the person who drops keys into the bottom of every bag and loses them, this is your shape.

 

The colors here are the fun part. The MM in navy blue, green, white, red and brown all read differently on the shoulder, and the white is the one I keep thinking about with a gray knit and a trench. The GM in blue is the bigger sibling, and the PM in yellow is the small one for days when you carry less than you think. Check the strap drop in the fitting room: the bag should sit at your hip, not under your arm. The Artois also comes in black in the PM and MM and in yellow in the GM, and the new gray PM and gray MM are the quiet end of this group.

 

The Villette is the one with a little secret. Goyard says it can be worn with its Hulot dog screenprint showing, or with the plain Goyardine side out for a more discreet look. The plain Villette in blue MM and red PM keep things simple. The printed coated canvas MM versions in blue, green and yellow are for the person who likes a bit of mischief at the bottom of a work bag. The Villette in blue is also here in the PM and in a plain canvas version, which is the smaller take on the work-bag shape, and the printed MM in red joins the blue, green and yellow.

 

Since Goyard does not advertise and does not sell online, according to Town & Country, finding a secondhand Villette or Artois is half the fun. Treat each listing as one piece and read the shop's description carefully, then check how the corners and the zip sit when the bag is open and when it is closed.

The Anjou is the leather take on the Saint Louis. Goyard describes it as a leather version lined with Goyardine, and because it is reversible, that means Goyardine canvas on one side and calfskin on the other, two looks in one bag. That is the detail I like most, because a tote that changes personality in a second is useful on a Monday and a Saturday.

 

The Anjou Reversible comes here in the PM in gray, the GM in green, the Mini in brown, the PM in red and the Mini in yellow. The Minis are small and quick, and I would reach for them with a slip dress or a plain tee when I only need a phone and a lipstick. The GM in green is for the commute, with a laptop, a book and a spare layer. The PM in gray goes with everything I own, which is the best thing I can say about a bag. The Anjou also shows up in the Mini in green, the printed Mini in brown, the GM in black and the PM in blue, and the embroidered beige PM is the quirky one.

 

Then there is the Belharra, in the PM in blue, the PM in pink and the Reversible in blue. Goyard named it after one of the most famous waves on the Basque coast, to mark its return to Biarritz in 2016, and calls it a beach bag that is reversible and extremely light. The pink PM is the softest-looking thing in this whole edit. The reversible one in blue is the one to pick if you like a bag with two moods and no fuss about which side shows. The Belharra also comes in a coral red PM, a neutral PM and a turquoise printed PM with a keyhole detail.

 

What I would skip: buying a bright color only because it is rare. Hold the bag up next to the clothes you wear most, in daylight, and if you cannot picture it with your coat and your jeans, leave it for someone else.

Choosing a Goyard tote bag is mostly about how you carry. Start with size: the PM and Mini are for light days, the MM sits in the middle, and the GM is the one for a bag that holds a full day. Then decide between the plain, unlined softness of a Saint Louis and the zip and four leather corners of the Artois.

 

Next, look at the color against your closet. Black, brown and gray are quiet, while yellow, red and green will do the talking. Read each listing as the shop writes it, because every one of these is a single secondhand piece. Do that, and you will end up with a bag that suits the way you actually walk out the door. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Goyard Wallet and Chanel Wallet Guide.