Gerard Darel 24H Bag Review: The Bag I Didn't Expect to Love

I have a (new-to-me) bag I’ve fallen for from Gerard Darel — a French heritage brand I'll probably mispronounce every single time — and I am excited to share it with you. I’ve recently added their 24H bag to my collection. The "24H" stands for 24 hours, which is the whole premise: you can fit your whole life in this thing. And they've been making this exact same design for something like 30 years, which means you can also find vintage versions too.

I'd been seeing it all over TikTok, mostly on college students and women in their twenties who are clearly more plugged-in than I am. When it arrived, in khaki green smooth leather, I understood immediately what all the fuss was about.

The Design

The 24H bag has a very specific look. It's got the chunky hardware, the buckles on the handles, little drawstrings that let you cinch the top into a ruched shape. Essentially: it is deeply, unapologetically 2000s. Think Chloé bags making their comeback, think Balenciaga City Tote, think some of the older Coach styles with all the hardware. This bag fits right in with that moment.

The leather is soft and supple in a way that feels genuinely high quality, and it still smells like new leather every time I open it. It's fully lined, has a back zip pocket, and closes with a magnetic closure. A few notes on the drawstrings: they can be pulled in to cinch the bag into a rouched shape, or left out so the bag opens wide. Personally, I tuck the ties inside so there are no dangling bits and the bag stays open. I'm not generally a ruching person. The rouched look is genuinely cute, I just don't prefer them. But the option is there, and you can style it either way.

Fit Notes

The bag can be carried three ways: crook of the arm, top handle, or on the shoulder. I genuinely did not expect the shoulder option to be viable, but it works if you don’t overstuff it, the strap will slip. And if you have narrow shoulders, it's probably going to slip anyway.

My preferred way is shoulder carry when the bag isn't overpacked, which gives it this soft, almost cushion-like feel where the bag rests. Very comfortable. Very much the vibe I'm going for when I want to look like I have my life together.

Final Thoughts

I'm genuinely surprised by how much I love this bag. Clearly it's well-made, and the brand has been at it for decades, but I am surprised because it's outside what I usually go for. The hardware, the 2000s energy, the sheer size of it. And yet here I am, carrying it to work, asking my husband if he thinks it's cute (he does, and he is also very tired of being asked).

If you're looking for a bag you can live in… a daily driver energy, quality leather, actually fits your stuff, the Gerard Darel 24H is worth a serious look.