The Saddle by Dior. Legendary bags Read more

23.10.2022 Yraa 0 комментариев

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Fashion historian Milana Abieva continues to talk about the most significant bags in the world of fashion for the online magazine «Shipyards».

“Everything new is a well-forgotten old” — apparently, this was the motto that guided Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of the house of Dior, when she decided to revive one of the most iconic bags of the early 2000s, forcing all fashionistas on the planet to frantically turn all the contents of the mezzanines into in search of the legendary dusty vintage.

It is unlikely that until this moment someone could call The Saddle bag model legendary, but the purposeful Italian managed not only to revive interest in this handbag, but also to restore its former popularity and even increase it. Such a loud comeback leaves no doubt that this handbag can rightfully join the ranks of the classics for all time.

Today, The Saddle is one of the most recognizable bags and a symbol of the house of Dior. Perhaps even a person who is not well versed in the fashion world will immediately recognize this model of a non-trivial form, adorned with the initials of the founder of the fashion house, Christian Dior. However, just a few years ago, Dior’s The Saddle was in «fashion oblivion» after several years of wild popularity.

For the first time, a handbag resembling a saddle for riding (in fact, hence the name) was presented to the public in 1999 as part of the spring-summer collection by outrageous designer John Galliano, who headed the Dior house at that time. It was rumored that the designer was inspired by one of the works of photographer Helmut Newton, in which the model poses in a provocative pose, and even with a saddle on her back.

The collection, which consisted almost entirely of denim, suede and leather, was quite in the spirit of the times and appealed to the cream of society. Well, The Saddle handbag, which complemented these images, immediately migrated to the wardrobes of the most famous fashionistas.

The most fashionable «it-girls» immediately appreciated the new accessory and it could be seen on the shoulder of Paris Hilton and Beyoncé literally the next day after the show. «The Saddle» became one of their most coveted bags and in just one year its sales grew by as much as 60%. It is not surprising, because the handbag has become not only a favorite accessory of celebrities and a frequent guest of gossip columns, but also a screen star.

The Saddle was part of the wardrobe of one of TV’s most influential characters, Sex and the City’s glamorous journalist Carrie Bradshaw, whose style has inspired women all over the world. The heroine of Sarah Jessica Parker in the sensational series was a true trendsetter, and her cream-colored silk “saddle” left no doubt that this model was an absolute hit of her time.

Galliano himself prophesied that the newfangled accessory would join the ranks of the “classic for all time”, but the bag lasted only 7 years at the peak of popularity, after which interest in it began to fade away, and soon it completely disappeared from the “fashion radars”. As a result, the notorious saddle was completely discontinued and for almost ten years no one thought to remember it.

Until the world-famous singer Beyoncé completed one of her looks with a vintage copy of The Saddle from her personal collection. Everyone immediately started talking about the bag, the prices for it on resale platforms increased significantly, it was extremely difficult to get a vintage “saddle”.

In fact, it was this excitement that prompted the creative director of the house of Dior, Maria-Grazia Chiuri, to give a second life to the iconic bag. And already at the show of the autumn-winter collection of 2018, the models proudly walked the catwalk in images complemented by The Saddle handbag. However, the bag appeared before the fashion world not quite in its original form.

Marie Grazia-Churi, who celebrates not only the elegance inherent in the DNA of the fashion house, but also comfort, rethought the handbag a little, adding it with a long shoulder strap. Such a belt made it more functional and, as they say, more “wearable” within the framework of modern realities.