Size comparison
LV Alma BB vs PM: sizes, capacity and which to carry
The Alma BB is 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm and the Alma PM is 32 x 25 x 16 cm: 8.5 cm wider, 7.5 cm taller and 4.5 cm deeper, taking the box from 4,729 cm³ to 12,800 cm³, 171% more. The BB is the crossbody dome; the PM is the same shape as a full daytime bag.
The Alma is a structured dome with a double zip across the top, two short handles and a padlock, so both sizes hold more than a flat bag of the same width and both keep their shape whether they are full or empty. The BB and the PM are not close relatives: the step between them is the largest in this site's LV records.
The published rows used here are 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm for the BB and 32 x 25 x 16 cm for the PM. The BB figure is the same one this site's Alma BB model page publishes, and the PM row sits directly above it in the same Alma ladder.
Both sides of this comparison are published figures from the same records the model pages use, so the centimetres here and the centimetres there cannot disagree.
Louis Vuitton Alma BB vs Louis Vuitton Alma PM: published sizes side by side
Both tiers in published centimetres, converted to inches, with the arithmetic difference between them.
| Measurement | Louis Vuitton Alma BB | Louis Vuitton Alma PM | Difference (A → B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 23.5 cm / 9.3 in | 32 cm / 12.6 in | +8.5 cm / +3.3 in wider |
| Height | 17.5 cm / 6.9 in | 25 cm / 9.8 in | +7.5 cm / +3.0 in taller |
| Depth | 11.5 cm / 4.5 in | 16 cm / 6.3 in | +4.5 cm / +1.8 in deeper |
| Box volume (derived) | 4,729 cm³ | 12,800 cm³ | +8,071 cm³ (+171%) |
| What the figure says fits | Crossbody or hand-carried: phone, wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick. | Daily essentials, a wallet, a phone and cosmetics. | see the capacity section below |
Inches are the same centimetres divided by 2.54 and rounded to one decimal, exactly as on the model pages, so no page on this site carries a second set of inch values. Box volume is arithmetic on the three published figures (width × height × depth) — it is a scale comparison, not a published capacity rating, because a rounded or slouched body never fills its own box.
Capacity: what fits in each one
A dome has a curved floor and a wide zip, so what fits is decided by how the load spreads across the base rather than by the width alone.
The BB is published as crossbody or hand-carried: a phone, a wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick. That is a full load for its 23.5 cm base, and it closes over it because the dome curves upward at the ends — but a water bottle or a folder is where this tier ends, and a long wallet has to lie diagonally to fit.
The PM is published for daily essentials, a wallet, a phone and cosmetics, and 8.5 cm more width is what turns that from a tight arrangement into a comfortable one: a long wallet lies flat, a pouch sits beside it, and the double zip still runs freely. A slim tablet in a sleeve also goes in, which is the load the MM above it is sized for.
Louis Vuitton Alma BB: what people carry
- A phone, a wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick across the curved base
- Carried crossbody on the removable strap, or by the two short handles
- A compact umbrella only if the wallet is trimmed back
- The dome shape reads as small and structured, which is the point of the BB
Published fit note: Crossbody or hand-carried: phone, wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick.
Louis Vuitton Alma PM: what people carry
- A long wallet lying flat, a phone and a pouch beside it
- Cosmetics, keys and a compact without the zip being forced
- A slim tablet in a sleeve, which is the load the next tier up is published for
- More bag on the arm — 32 cm across is a daytime handbag, not a small one
Published fit note: Daily essentials, a wallet, a phone and cosmetics.
The two lists above describe how the sizes are carried in practice; the fit notes are the published descriptions that travel with the millimetres in the size records.
Which one suits which buyer
These two are chosen by how much bag the buyer wants to carry rather than by a small size preference: the step is 171% of box volume, and it shows.
Buyers who choose the BB are usually looking for a structured bag that can hang across the body and still look finished in the evening. It handles a wallet-and-phone day, it keeps its dome whatever is inside it, and it is the size most buyers picture when an Alma is mentioned. Travel and paper are not part of the plan for this tier.
The PM suits buyers who want the Alma shape at working size. The long wallet goes in flat, cosmetics and a phone follow, and the bag keeps its structure because the dome is not being pushed. Buyers who carry a tablet in a sleeve can use the PM; buyers who carry a laptop should not be looking at this line at all.
Choose the Louis Vuitton Alma BB if…
- You want a structured bag to wear across the body
- Your load is a phone, a wallet, keys, a compact and a lipstick
- You want the smaller dome that stays close to the body
- You do not need to carry paper, a bottle or a tablet
Choose the Louis Vuitton Alma PM if…
- A long wallet has to lie flat rather than diagonally
- You want one bag for a full working day
- Cosmetics and a pouch travel with you as well as the essentials
- You want the Alma shape at a daytime size and are happy with 32 cm across
Questions buyers ask about the Louis Vuitton Alma BB and the Louis Vuitton Alma PM
Is the Alma PM much bigger than the Alma BB?
Yes: 8.5 cm wider, 7.5 cm taller and 4.5 cm deeper, or 32 x 25 x 16 cm against 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm. Box volume goes from 4,729 cm³ to 12,800 cm³, a 171% increase, and because the shape is rigid all of that extra volume is usable rather than slouch.
Does the Alma BB come with a strap?
The BB is published as crossbody or hand-carried, which is the tier with the removable strap; the two short handles sit over the strap for hand carrying. The PM is the same construction at a larger size, so the strap and handles work the same way — only the balance changes when the bag is full.
Can the Alma BB hold a long wallet?
It fits diagonally across the curved base, but it takes up most of the floor and leaves the phone to one side. The PM at 32 cm takes the same wallet lying flat with room beside it, which is the single most common reason buyers move up from the BB.
Which size keeps its shape better?
Both keep their dome, because the construction is rigid in this line. The difference is how they look when full: the BB is usually packed close to its published size, so it always reads as a small dome, while the PM can carry a fuller load without changing outline at all.
Which Alma size is easier to travel with?
The BB is the easier one to carry hands-free and to pack into a larger bag, but the PM is the tier published for a full daily load and a slim tablet. For a flight, the BB reads as a handbag and the PM reads as a personal item, and both keep their shape in a bag.
Album photos at these sizes
Both tiers appear in photo records on this site; each photo below says which bag it is. Photos are album records for the model named in the caption, so nothing here is passed off as the other size.
Where these figures come from
Row by row, this is the record each centimetre comes from, and the model page that publishes the same figure.
| Tier | Figure on this page | Source record | Model page (same figure) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Vuitton Alma BB | 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm | lv-bag-catalog-2024 | Louis Vuitton Alma BB |
| Louis Vuitton Alma PM | 32 x 25 x 16 cm | lv-bag-catalog-2024 | No dedicated model page yet — the tier figures live in the family record above. |
- Louis Vuitton Alma BB: this page prints 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm; the model page publishes 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm.
- Louis Vuitton Alma PM: no dedicated model page yet, so the family record is the only published figure for this tier.
Inch values are converted from these centimetres; nothing on this page is a measured sample, an average of two records, or a rounded figure from a listing title. Where a family record carries two published values for the same tier, both are printed on the family ladder rather than one being averaged away.
Model pages and guides for these two sizes
- Louis Vuitton Alma BB The model page for this tier: 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm.
- Louis Vuitton Alma PM record No dedicated page for this tier yet; its figures are published in the record linked here.
- lv-bag-catalog-2024 The size table the Louis Vuitton Alma BB and Louis Vuitton Alma PM figures on this page are quoted from.
- lv bag catalog 2024 Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- bag straps handles guide Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- bag size shape daily use guide Related reading on the same buying decisions — sizing, capacity and how to read a listing.
- Louis Vuitton Alma BB Another published record at a comparable size — 23.5 x 17.5 x 11.5 cm.
- Louis Vuitton Pochette Métis Another published record at a comparable size — 25 x 19 x 9 cm.
- Louis Vuitton Capucines BB Another published record at a comparable size — 27 x 17.3 x 9 cm.
- Every model size comparison on this site The full list of side-by-side comparisons, grouped by house.
- Fashion Bags Catalog — Latest Styles & Brand Collections The bag catalog these models come from.
Still deciding between the two?
Tell us whether a long wallet travels with you and whether the bag needs to go across the body. We will send the measurements and album photos of both Alma sizes so the difference in the base is clear.
Figures last checked 2026-09-24 against Alma family record and the model pages linked above. This page describes published proportions and photo records only; it is not a statement about stock, price, condition or delivery.