The saddle bag purse is a popular shaped handbag carried by many women. Its shape first appeared in the cowboy days when men carried saddle bags to hold any number of personal items. Today’s handbag borrows from this original shape to use it to form its base and some aspects of its body.
In 1999, the House of Dior brought back the saddle bag complete with the Dior logo repeated across the purse’s fabric. The designer, John Galliano brought this historical element back as it sauntered down the runway on the shoulder of a gorgeous model to the tune of “Everything is Everything”, by Lauren Hill. His version of the saddle bag was asymmetric in shape and made of Dior’s signature cloth.
Since then, the saddle bag has been reworked in countless ways to mimic the look. The purse has been made smaller, slightly larger, and much bigger. All these purses have one thing in common, they all start with the saddle shape, especially the keeping rounded bottom. Often the buckle closure is seen on many bags. That same closure may buckle, but most simply have a magnetic snap closure instead and the buckle is just a decoration.
Slowly the saddle bag once again fell out of fashion and we no longer saw every other woman carrying one. Then, in 2014 Beyonce carried a version of the saddle bag made with pony hair. Suddenly, there was a new interest in the bag, but it wasn’t until Dior’s first female designer was determined to restore the House of Dior’s popularity, that she put it once again in her fashion show. In 2018, Maria Grazia Chiuri designed a saddle bag that appeared on the runway. Once again, the asymmetric signature cloth bag reappeared in a much larger version.
Once again, the masses needed the affordable versions of the saddle bag and vendors gladly obliged and produced all those variations. Today, you’ll still find a bag that resembles a saddle with the telltale signs: the buckle strap, the rounded corners, the flat bottom, and a flap. It may be made of cloth or leather.
Anyone shopping for handbags will note that as they shop, they will find variations of the theme. Many bags will borrow elements of the saddle bag. However, in the end, the saddle bag purse is unique in that it is very recognizable. It has a flat bottom with two rounded sides and a flap with a strap closure.
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