The Dior Saddle Boxy is the latest contemporary to rival the house’s existing leather goods line.
For FW23, Kim Jones realises his creative vision for Dior Mens in the latest incarnation of the Saddle Bag, introducing the Boxy iteration. Known for a sense of inventive renown, in introducing a slew of hyper-timely collaborative artists and reviving the house’s Saddle series, the creative director’s latest creation is novel in merging both the aged and the new.
As always, the bag is a continuation of the maison’s ode to the realm of the equestrian, as per its allegorical saddle silhouette, and of course, its name. If Jones’ past direction for accessories was a conservative one, the Boxy toes the line while attempting a contemporary turn.
Against the grain of the overwhelmingly understated, the Saddle Boxy takes cues from the old to deliver cues of the contemporary. Glossy embossing graces the chosen material of the Oblique Gravity. The new cloudy, patinated leather combines its murky colouring with the Oblique stamping in inducing a double-take — once for the choice of stamped detailing, and again for the intrigue of the bag’s subdued, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it marbling. Patinas are henceforth delicately balanced with the clean veneers of its patent finishing. And in being ultimately unified by the precision of graphic, clean lines that contrast the bag’s otherwise organic silhouette, the Saddle Boxy is a riveting in its layers of detailing.
And true to Dior’s creed of savoir faire, detailing merely prefaces thorough and elaborate processes of artisanal craftmanship. More than just stamped, sealed and delivered, the work that goes into the bag’s multiple compartments, removable shoulder straps and overall make is not just lengthy, but complex. Calf leather is first varnished, then stamped with an oblique stamp, before getting precisely shaped and fitted with all the fixings. Beyond just the black, the Saddle Boxy is additionally realised in lively yellows and browns. Perhaps it is this juxtaposition of design — in aged materiality and modern treatments — that allows the Saddle Boxy to transcend into the territory of allure, and induce not just intrigue, but also desirability.
The Dior Saddle Boxy is now available at Dior stores worldwide and online. Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our September 2023 issue.
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