The real Dior Saddle Bag is not the one seen on the catwalk

Paris, October 1999, Dior show. For the first time ever an accessory meant to become a true icon makes its debut : the Saddle Bag. That genius of John Galliano, at the time at the reins of the French fashion house, took inspiration from the shape of a real saddle to design a versatile, young and impactful bag. Made in a great number of different variations, monogrammed, denim, patchwork, colorful, and worn by the it-girls of those years (some of them undeniably trash, like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan), the Saddle Bag is finally consacrated by Sarah Jessica Parker aka Carrie Bradshaw who sports it through the entire third season of Sex and the City. 

After having been remained out of production for several years and after different attempts to bring it back, Maria Grazia Chiuri, current creative director of Dior, decided it was Saddle's moment again. For the FW18 the iconic accessory is designed in two versions, in soft leather or in a patchwork model clearly Seventies inspired. Kim Jones joins the trend, too. For his first show as artistic director at Dior Homme, the SS19, Jones used the sinous shape of the Saddle on backpacks, cross body bags and waist bags, all strictly in super soft skin. Saddle isn't just for girls. 

The relaunching of this accessory is interesting and unique for two different (and apparently contrasting) reasons. This time Dior didn't wait for the Saddle to be photographed by paparazzi on the arm of some celebs, but did it on its own by recruiting a real army of bloggers and influencers that sponsor it on Instagram, turning it in the cult accessory it was twenty years ago. We could go on and on on how much the ads and more generally communication also fashion wise have changed with the arrival of social media, especially Instagram. Even though the pictures of the official Saddle advertising campaign shot by Pamela Hanson are stunning and refined, unless you go through Vogue or some other glossy magazine, it's so much easier to encounter the new Dior bag while scrolling the Instagram feed. This is exactly why the marketing operation carried out by the French fashion house is at the same time brilliant and simple: there's nothing easier than placing the new Saddle Bag on Chiara Ferragni's arm to be sure to have an audience of millions of potential consumers. 

The pictures of the new Saddle brought back the ones from the beginning of the 2000s, starting a real Dior (logo) mania. Seeing the new Saddles made us curious about the old models, and above all, eager to own them. It's not a case that when you google 'Dior Saddle Bag' one of the first suggestions given by the search engine is 'vintage'. As a consequence, the number of websites selling models from the past has exponentially increased. eBay Fashion, sponsored by another fashion blogger, @songofstyle (almost 5 millions followers), is the perfect place to find monogrammed Saddles (the most desired), denim, leather or nylon variations. The rarest models can cost more than the newest ones. Vestiaire Collective, a giant in luxury vintage shopping, has brought out from its warehouse all the Saddle Bags dating from the early 2000s, selling them for surprisingly affordable prices and in quite large quantities. If you go on The Real Real, another platform for online shopping, you can find not only the old Saddles, but also entire Dior collections designed by John Galliano. On What Goes Around Comes Around, the website of the cult New York City luxury vintage shop, the Saddle Bag is currently one of the best selling items. 

Interestingly enough, the ultra modern and contemporary launching of a new accessory has drawn attention to its vintage version. The obsession for the 90s and the early 2000s is noticeable also in this case. On Instagram and Pinterest you can find thousands of images of iconic models, old ads, cult accessories: Kendall Jenner herself for her 21st birthday party wore a dress identical to the one worn by the undisputed queen of the 2000s, Paris Hilton, on her 21st birthday. No one is immune to the obsession for the past. Designers keep taking inspiration from the past decades, and even when they rework and relaunch old items, the audience seems more interested in the original ones. Moreover, in an almost entirely globalized and homologated market, we end up wearing all the same things. Finding something vintage by looking on different websites or by digging into our mum's closet means being able to wear unique and original pieces. Are you already on eBay?