Saddle Up

By  Isabella Poli

Few handbags hit you with such an iconic design as the Saddle Bag from Christian Dior. In a world of totes, satchels, clutches and buckets, the Dior saddle bag’s shape and style is unforgettable.

Designed by John Galliano, it made its debut in his 2000 Spring/Summer runway show. Although an initial hit, the bag got lost in the mid-2000s to the likes of Prada, LV, Gucci, and others, just when the woman’s handbag category caught fire. Not until Beyoncé broke one out in late 2014 did the bag regain some footing. 

Classics in silks, leather, and canvas started popping up as “vintage’ and became highly sought after but Dior quietly ignored the fanfare until its reemergence in late 2019 when the fashion house made it a centerpiece of its print campaign, offering the style in 20 different fabrics and hides.

It is said the bag was created from an old Helmut Newton photograph titled ‘Saddle I ‘taken in Paris in 1976. The photo is of a woman sensually posing on a silk mattress wearing a jockey’s sleek and pronounced saddle on her back. Galliano apparently loved the image enough to sketch a purse in its form with the Dior ‘D” acting as the stirrup, high and tight to the curves of the silhouette. Never one to shy away from sensuality, Dior used the bag in provocative ad campaigns in 2000 showing the bag intertwined with two beautiful women lusting over each other.

Galliano’s original release included 12 different designs representing countries that inspired him over his career including The United States, China, Argentina, Mexico, England, Russia, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, France, India, and Japan.

Today, Dior’s style leader Maria Grazia Chiuri continues to embrace the iconic design with an array of saddle-related products from key-chains to wallets; cross-body’s to evening clutches with bag offerings in leather, silks, quilts, and canvas ranging in price from $1,900-4,900.

Isabella Poli lives in Milan, Italy, and frequently writes on style, fashion, trends, and ‘Milano Streetwear’.  She is known to scour vintage clothing shops throughout Italy, looking for items that reunite with modern trends today. Her favorite jeans are Levi 501’s.