The Row Size Numbers Explained: Margaux 10, 12, 15 and Beyond
At most luxury houses the sizes arrive as adjectives. A Mini, a Small, a Medium and, if the house is feeling expansive, a Jumbo: not one of them commits to anything you can measure. Across a large part of its line The Row does something quietly different, and the moment you notice it the catalogue becomes far easier to read. Whatever number sits in a model name is the bag’s width in inches. Margaux 10 is ten inches across. Margaux 12 comes in at twelve. That single fact does more real work than any amount of styling copy, and it is the backbone of this explainer.
The system runs further than the flagship alone. It takes in Margaux 10, 12, 15 and 17, India 10.00, 12.00 and 15.75, Agnes 12 and 15, Sofia 8.75 and 10, and Marlo 12 and 14. The decimals are the giveaway: nobody writes 15.75 unless the figure is intended literally. Below: how far the rule holds, where it bends, what the number leaves out, and how to turn it into a decision when you are torn between two sizes of the same bag.
The rule, stated plainly
Take the number in the name, add the word inches, and you have the width of the bag. That is the whole system, and it holds consistently enough across the numbered families to count as a rule rather than a coincidence. It is unusually honest labelling, because it removes the gap between what a size sounds like and what it measures. One house’s Small can beat another house’s Medium, but ten inches is ten inches anywhere. For anyone measuring The Row bags against something already in the wardrobe, it turns the comparison into arithmetic rather than approximation. That is also why the brand can offer four sizes of one silhouette and confuse nobody.
| Model name | Size number read as width | Dimensions as published (W x H x D) |
|---|---|---|
| Soft Margaux 10 | 10 in | 10 x 7 x 7.5 in |
| Soft Margaux 12 | 12 in | 12 x 9 x 7.5 in |
| Soft Margaux 15 | 15 in | Width taken from the name; no measurements listed |
| Margaux Shoulder 12 | 12 in by name | 14.75 https://ysl-bags-outlet.com/tote-bags/ x 9 x 5 in, which is the exception to the rule |
| Margaux 17 | 17 in | About 17 x 12 x 9 in |
| India 10.00 | 10 in | Not officially published |
| India 12.00 | 12 in | No official figures published |
| India 15.75 | 15.75 in | No official figures published |
| Agnes 12 | 12 in | Only the width, taken from the name |
| Agnes 15 | 15 in | Only the width, taken from the name |
| Marlo 12 | 12 in | Width by name only |
| Marlo 14 | 14 in | Width from the name; nothing further listed |
| Sofia 8.75 | 8.75 in | Archive model, not officially listed |
| Sofia 10 | 10 in | Archive piece; not listed officially |
What the number leaves out
Width is only one of three dimensions, and the other two scale with it in no predictable way to speak of. Place the two Soft Margaux sizes with official figures behind them side by side: the 10 measures 10 x 7 x 7.5 in and the 12 measures 12 x 9 x 7.5 in. The depth is identical at 7.5 inches, so the larger bag is not a proportional enlargement of the smaller one. Height is what changes, by two inches, and width moves with it by the same. In practice that means stepping up a size gives you a higher opening and more length rather than a deeper bag. If you expect the 12 to hold twice what the 10 holds, the difference will be smaller than the numbers imply.
The handle drop is constant as well, at five inches on both Soft Margaux sizes, and that is another thing the model number never tells you. Five inches is a hand-carry or crook-of-the-elbow drop rather than a shoulder drop, and both sizes come with a removable shoulder strap to make up the difference. Fittings inside differ as well: a single card slot on the 10, while the 12 adds a second plus a zip pocket. Those details shape how a bag behaves day to day far more than an inch of width ever will. The number places the bag on a scale; the specification is what actually explains it.
The Margaux Shoulder 12, the place the rule bends
One current model breaks the pattern and it is worth stating clearly rather than quietly. A twelve sits in the name of the Margaux Shoulder 12, but the brand lists its dimensions as 14.75 x 9 x 5 in. The width in the name and the width in the specification do not match, so the number is functioning as a family size rather than as a literal external measurement on this one. That is consistent with what the silhouette does, since it is a reworked shape with elongated tubular handles and narrowed gusseted side panels rather than a straightforward scaling of the tote. The lesson generalises: treat the number as a starting point, then confirm against published dimensions before you commit. Where a listing carries no dimensions at all, read the number as a guide rather than a measurement.
What each width really holds
Turning inches into daily use is the step most guides pass over. Anything under ten inches wide is a phone, cardholder, keys and lipstick affair, the territory of the Sofia 8.75 and the small clutches. At ten inches you have the classic small day bag, taking a compact wallet, a phone, sunglasses and a slim pouch without distortion. Twelve inches is where a bag starts taking a paperback, a small notebook, a folded scarf and a full-size wallet at once. Fourteen to fifteen inches is a working width, the point at which documents and a tablet stop being a squeeze. At seventeen inches, as on the Margaux 17, you are into weekend and travel territory rather than everyday use.
- 8.75 to 10 in: evenings, errands and anything where the bag should disappear.
- 12 in: the most versatile width on offer and the one most buyers end up choosing.
- 14 to 15 in: work, the commute and days when you carry other people’s things as well.
- 17 in: travel and overnight trips, where the soft structure is a feature rather than a compromise.
Price tracks width, but material moves faster still
Price follows size, but not as steeply as you would expect. On observed 2026 market prices, the Soft Margaux 10 sits at $3,650 and the Soft Margaux 12 at $4,350, which puts two inches of width at about $700. Marlo 12 is observed at $3,600 and $4,900 depending on the version, and Marlo 14 at $5,300, a far bigger step for the same two inches. Material moves in bigger jumps than size does, since India 10.00 is $3,850 in leather against $5,370 in suede, and Agnes 15 runs $5,000 in leather, $5,800 in suede and $4,300 in a canvas blend. With Agnes 12 at $4,400, the leather Agnes 15 is only $600 more for three additional inches. If you are optimising spend, choosing the material is the bigger financial decision, and choosing the width is the bigger practical one.
The models that carry no number
Much of the line sits outside this system, and it is the mixing of the two conventions that breeds confusion. The Park Tote family deals in words rather than inches, running Small, Medium, Large and XL alongside the N/S Park Tote and Park Tote Three. Small bags like the 90’s Bag, the Half Moon and the Bourse Clutch carry no size marker. With those, dimensions are all you have: the Bourse Clutch is listed at 10.2 x 6.5 x 2.3 in, and the Half Moon is given officially as 8 x 13.5 x 2.5 in, with other listings differing enough that the figure is best read as approximate. Archive models follow no rule either, and the Camden measures roughly 9 x 12.5 x 5.25 in despite carrying no number. The N/S and E/W prefixes are orientation shorthand, habitually read as north-south for taller shapes and east-west for wider ones.
Turning inches into a decision
A literal sizing system pays off because you can test it before you buy. Measure a bag you already own and like, then compare its width with the number in the model name you are considering. Repeat it for the widest thing you carry routinely, whether a laptop, a folder or a water bottle, then add an inch of tolerance for soft construction. Keep in mind that most of these are unstructured shapes, which is why a bag looks smaller empty and fuller in use than any flat measurement lets on. If you are between sizes on a soft silhouette, the smaller one usually looks better and the larger one usually performs better. The genuine choice in front of you is that trade-off and not the number itself, whenever you buy row handbags in a numbered family.
