The Icons Worth Revisiting

An original Dior Saddle is the shape John Galliano introduced for the house around 2000, usually in Trotter canvas, Rasta stripes, houndstooth or leather with the chunky D charm. The current reissue is a different bag in different materials, so the early ones are worth knowing by name.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Christian Dior Multicolor Rasta Saddle Bag, the Christian Dior Blue Trotter Denim Remove Before Flight Saddle Bag and the Christian Dior Brown Trotter Canvas Double Saddle Bag.

 

The pieces below are all from that earlier run, including a Gaucho leather version and a Rasta canvas that screams the early 2000s. For the wider Galliano story, try The Art of Vintage Dior.

Vintage Fendi Baguettes are the ones carried since the Baguette launched in 1997, the short strap bag designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi to tuck under the arm. The same shape came in leather, knit, corduroy, velvet and sequins in those early seasons.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Fendi Black Leather Baguette, the Fendi Pink Knit Convertible Baguette Bag and the Fendi Multicolor Falcon Baguette.

 

Look for the interlocking FF clasp and the thin strap, and choose the material that suits you. I would go for the plain black leather first, then add a texture. The Fendi Archive has the rest of the family.

Gucci bamboo and horsebit bags are the house codes that outlasted every creative director. The bamboo handle dates back to the 1940s, and the horsebit comes from the 1950s loafer, so both sit in the early Gucci story.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Gucci Original GG Canvas D-Ring Abbey Tote Large, the Gucci Purple Original GG Canvas Vintage Web Boston Medium and the Gucci Yellow Original GG Canvas Sukey Messenger.

 

What you find below are the GG canvas and leather bags from the Tom Ford years onward, before the current line of reinterpretations. For how the language changed over time, read The Gucci Years.

These are Chanel shapes that left the main line, and some are far more interesting than the classic flap. Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Green Vinyl Whipstitch Half Flap Jumbo, the Chanel Black Crushed Velvet Whipstitch Half Flap Jumbo and the YSL Red Leather Muse Large.

 

I like the vanity cases for the way they look like tiny trunks, and the vinyl Whipstitch for its early-nineties attitude. Wear them with something simple and they carry the outfit.

Revisiting the originals is easier than it sounds. Pick one house, learn the name of the design you want and compare the details to what you see in listings.

 

Start with one house, learn the design name you want, and compare the details in each listing before you commit. The older version usually has a heavier hand, whether that is the stitching on a Saddle or the canvas on a bamboo tote, and that weight is what you are paying attention to. Pick one piece and wear it to everything. For more, try The Great Fashion Revival.