Old News: How vintage Galliano is re-energising my wardrobe this winter
Welcome to Old News, where our vintage-obsessed shopping editor, Roberta Schroeder, runs us through the runway relics currently occupying her wishlist (and resale searches). From the most iconic designer pieces on the planet to niche yet collectible accessories, this is your ultimate insider's guide to building a wardrobe that outlasts the trend cycles.
Perhaps it’s the pregnancy hormones (I've just entered my third trimester and am suitably sleep-deprived), or maybe its the Y2K nostalgia segueing from the current collections into my subconscious, but this week I hit the big commitment button on a vintage bag that really skirts the border between good and bad taste.
The piece in question is from a designer well known for straddling that border: John Galliano, a man whose personal struggles and shortcomings have been well-documented over the years. Equally well-reported is the influence that his 15-year tenure at Dior (and subsequent rapturous comeback at the helm of Maison Margiela, which has this week come to an end) has had on the world of fashion; no-one creates a runway spectacular or red-carpet moment quite like the British designer, whether your reference is Princess Diana stealing the headlines at the 1996 Met Gala or Zendaya at the most recent.
But back to that divisive late-night purchase: a small logo-strapped shoulder bag from the SS06 collection, emblazoned with the kind of jacquard logo pattern that defined the era and heavy with an excessive amount of hardware (all of that, too, is logo-stamped).
Small yet brash, it’s the kind of obnoxious accessory that provides an antidote to the quiet-luxury calmness, a relic from a time when fashion was far more chaotic and, in my opinion, all the better for it.
Of course, there are other, much more notable, vintage investments to be sought out from Galliano’s maximalist roster. The Saddle bag is the most obvious example here; introduced by the designer in 1999, it has since been stamped with newspaper print, pierced with bondage-inspired metalwork and embroidered with bohemian butterflies, exemplifying the breadth of Galliano’s influences. One high on my hit-list is the steel-pierced Hardcore Saddle, which is so rare it commonly fetches more than £8,000 on resale sites (and is seemingly on the moodboard at other houses this season...)
Another version with a similarly hefty price tag is the newspaper-print design to match the dress made famous by Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City. The Columbus, with its satisfying number of pockets and boxy body, is also a design that’s worth investing in. And in the footwear department, I’ve found some brilliant attention-seeking boots and stilettos that are guaranteed to inject some energy into a wardrobe of well-chosen classics, should you too be suffering from end-of-year delirium and in the mood for a very fun sartorial investment.
Dior Bondage Shoulder Bag
Dior Hardcore Shoulder Bag
Dior Admit It Corset Bag
Dior Brown Hardcore Saddle Bag
Dior Hardcore Shoulder Bag
Granted, Galliano’s Dior feels particularly at odds with the 'Mocha Mousse' aesthetic of now, but that’s where the joy is for me. But, if you’re less inclined to skirt the boundaries of modern taste, I suggest delving into the archives to find the designer and era that speaks to your style; you’ll end up with unique treasures that set your outfits apart from others and outlast the trend cycle with ease (not to mention the supreme quality you often find with pieces made in the Nineties and Noughties). For something more feminine, vintage Missoni makes for beautiful collecting, while for all-out sex appeal, Tom Ford’s Gucci is the one.
For me, at-least until my chronically foggy brain finds a new old thing to obsess over, it’s Galliano dominating my saved searches on Ebay and Vestiaire Collective (1st Dibs arguably has the best treasure, but the prices can be astronomical). His collections were spectacles of fantasy, excess and, often, controversy – and while we may still have more than enough of the latter in today’s industry, it’s the former that many of us are craving. To satisfy the urge, why not look back?
Dior Columbus Shoulder Bag
Dior Columbus Shoulder Bag
Denim Logo Boots
Denim Logo Boots
Dior Columbus Tote
Dior Columbus Tote
Logo Canvas Boots
Logo Canvas Boots
Dior Newspaper Saddle Bag
Dior Newspaper Saddle Bag
You Might Also Like
