In autumn 2017, the designer bag that caught the eye at Dior wasn’t a big tote. It was the Dioraddict, a compact flap bag from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Pre-Fall 2017 collection. It came in two sizes, small and medium, and in materials that ran from quilted lambskin to exotic skins. Its metal lock was modelled on the fastenings of old travel trunks.
Chiuri joined Dior in July 2016 and became the first woman to be the house’s artistic director. By 2017 her feminist slogan T-shirts, J’Adior slingback pumps and gowns embroidered with celestial motifs were turning up on street style figures like Chiara Ferragni and Aimee Song, and on stars like Rihanna, Angelababy and Carina Lau. The Dioraddict joined that run of hits.
What the bag looks like
The Dioraddict line launched in three styles: a flap, a lockbox and a top handle bag. The flap was the star. Its versions included lambskin quilted in Dior’s Cannage pattern, studded lambskin, smooth calfskin, hand-painted leather and exotics such as Nile crocodile. The colours in autumn 2017 included black, red and amaranth. The clasp is in aged gold-tone metal and spells out the DIOR name.
For autumn 2017, the suggested pairing was the small Dioraddict in black studded Cannage lambskin for parties and the medium in red Cannage lambskin for daytime. A medium flap in red Cannage lambskin measures about 24 x 16 x 6.5cm. Inside there is a zip pocket, and the gold cable-link chain is engraved with the CD signature. The bag was made in Italy.
A bag of many straps
Being able to change the bag’s look was part of its appeal. The gold metal chain detaches, and one version came with a bohemian-style shoulder strap instead. The chain suited evenings, and the fabric strap went better with T-shirts and jeans. Because the strap comes off, the bag can be worn on the shoulder, across the body or carried in the hand as a clutch.
The small size also made owners think about what they really needed to carry. A small Dioraddict flap measures about 21 x 13 x 8cm (8.3 x 5.1 x 3.1in), enough for a phone, a slim wallet, a card holder, keys and a few beauty items. With a tote, it’s easy to keep adding things you never use.
How it was made
Later in its run, Dior released the Dioraddict in Oblique canvas. That jacquard comes from the house archives: Marc Bohan created it in 1967, and Chiuri brought it back 50 years later.
The Oblique version is cut at Dior’s leatherworking ateliers near Florence. The pattern is lined up using the “i” in each “Dior” as a guide, so every bag has the same slanting motif. Each bag needs 23 pieces of leather and canvas. Once the fastener is fixed on, an artisan paints the exposed edges with three coats of black paint and a layer of fixative varnish. After more than 24 hours of drying, “Christian Dior Paris, Made in Italy” is embossed in gold below the inside pocket.
Where it sits in Dior’s flap bag story
The Dioraddict was one of several flap bags Chiuri introduced early on, after the J’Adior and the Dio(r)evolution from Spring/Summer 2017. In 2018 she brought back John Galliano’s Saddle bag, first shown in 1999, in several formats. Pre-owned Dioraddict flaps in Cannage lambskin, including medium navy and red versions, still come up for resale.