The Dior Saddle bag, like centaur-inspired Margiela “Tabi” boots, is a fashion conundrum: is it amazing or is it hideous? Or amazingly hideous? While sartorial trends of the 90s and early aughts have pervaded closets far and wide (some sticking, most fading), the Dior Saddle bag is the hero piece that has maintained it’s hall of fame status.
Then-creative director John Galliano introduced the original Dior Saddle bag almost two decades ago in 1999. From there, the bag quickly became a rising star, slung over the famous shoulders of stars from Beyoncé to Elle Macpherson to Carrie Bradshaw a la Sex and the City.
Courtesy of Dior
Today, the Dior Saddle bag makes its long-awaited return. Artistic director of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri, has reinvented the handbag for a new generation. Chiuri’s take on the old saddle is inspired by the late 1960’s and 70’s, a time “when the rules of fashion were turned on their head.”
“I thought the this collection would be an opportunity to revive [the saddle’s] timeless beauty,” Chiuri said in a statement. “I consider this icon of the house’s recent history the perfect accessory to deal with this battle that is daily life.”
Chiuri’s renewed saddle bag comes in 14 different styles and colorways with a strap that allows it to be worn crossbody. Some of the new saddle bags are riffs on classic styles and feature monochromatic leather, or the repeating Dior logo. The more au courant iterations are covered with beaded fringe in geometric patterns.
All of the saddle bags are now available to view on Dior.com, and available for purchase exclusively in Dior boutiques.