It was a major throwback moment for me when I saw Dior, and then Gucci, sending bags with the monogram that came with vintage hardware, down the runways. These were bags that most of us either owned, or aspired to own, in the late-1990s and early-2000s. Fast forward to the 2017 collections, and here we have it, a blast from the past, except it isn’t just a “blast”, but is instead, here to stay.

We first saw the seedlings of this trend on Dior’s Spring/Summer 17 runway where Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri snuck a tote with the all-over Dior monogram into her debut RTW collection.

By Fall/Winter 17, this momentum had fully sprouted into a collection made up almost entirely of these retro monogrammed bags. In Dior speak, this is referred to as the Dior Oblique, and it came in several new styles like the new Dior Addict, as well as a reinterpretation of “older” styles from before, like the Boston bag, which was closer to the ones from the 2000s, but without the “D”-ring hardware on the handles. The new Oblique bags came with thicker shoulder straps and chunkier hardware which gave the bags more character and edge in comparison to their predecessors, yet still keeping to that certain “old world charm” with the brushed brass hardware, for that “aged” kinda vibe.

From this point onwards, I came to the realisation that these Oblique babies, weren’t just a seasonal whim that Chiuri was on, because they are here to stay. We saw them again in form the oversized totes from the Spring/Summer 18 collection, and then most recently, for Fall/Winter 18, the bag that got me excited about: the return of the Saddle bag – a Dior icon of the 2000s. I know most of you who owned the Saddle bag and no longer have them anymore are probably regretting this big time now, but I guess this really serves as a lesson for us all: when it comes to bags, it’s good to be a hoarder, especially when this happens!

…And then, there’s Gucci. …

We caught our first glimpse of the vintage-styled GG monogram on coated jacquard (or, the GG Supreme, in Gucci speak), suede, and leather, with the signature red-and-green web stripe on quite a number of bags that came down the Cruise 2018 collection and then once again, on the Spring/Summer 18 runway, in the form of waistpouches, a top handle style in exotic leather, as well as a larger bowler bag, in suede and patent leather, with the web stripe that came in navy and red, instead.

I got a chance to check these vintage-inspired pieces out at the boutique, and I have to say, that it really is very close, with just a few minor modifications compared to the original pieces, which are, by now, already considered vintage pieces. The only reason why I know this is because I remember seeing these on my aunt way back when I was a child.

If you’ve been a long-time reader (and I know quite a few of you who are), you probably already know that I ain’t a fan of anything that has an all-over logo, or monogram (and this also includes shoes and RTW), so even though these sorts of pieces are now trendy, they’re just not me. Okay, well, except for the Dior Saddle bag, because I used to have one and I’m still kicking myself for not keeping it!

For those of you collectors who have similar pieces buried somewhere in the depths of your closets which are from over 30 years ago, it’s time to bring them back out again! Fashion trends are often cyclical anyway, and this is living proof that old is gold! Or, if this something you didn’t previously own, but would now like to get your hands on one of these, then, there’s no time like the present.