The Runway Archive

Dior's Rasta, Flight and Gambler bags come with dates in their listings, from the Rasta season of 2004 to the Remove Before Flight collection of 2006. These were bags tied to a specific Galliano show rather than to a general line.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Christian Dior Rasta Trotter Coated Canvas Messenger Bag, the Christian Dior Multicolor Rasta Saddle Bag and the Christian Dior White Trotter Gambler Bowler Bag.

 

That clarity is what makes them satisfying to research. You can match each bag to its season and read how it was styled. For more on the house in these years, see The Art of Vintage Dior.

The Perfume Bottle Minaudière from around 2013 and the Brasserie Gabrielle clutches from 2015 belong to specific seasons too. Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Paris-Egypt Blue Denim Shearling Hieroglyph Shopping Tote, the Chanel Green Lambskin Brasserie Gabrielle Menu Clutch and the Chanel Blue Quilted Lambskin Hula Hoop Bag Mini.

 

Each has a collection name you can look up, which is the best kind of provenance. See also A Collector's State of Mind for more of this shape of collecting.

They are not tied to a single show, but their design years are clear, and the dates are in the listings. Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Miu Miu Black Nappa Crystal Flap Shoulder Bag, the Fendi White Raffia Selleria Baguette Bag and the YSL Multicolor Ponyhair St. Tropez Mombasa Small.

 

For the Philo story in full, read The Pieces That Got Away.

Louis Vuitton's collaborations are dated almost to the season. Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton White Monogram, the Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton White Monogram and the Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton White Monogram.

 

The listings carry those years, so you can match each piece to its moment. If one artist catches your eye, The Louis Vuitton Collector's Club goes deeper.

Read a runway bag by its season name and its year. Both are almost always in the title, and they tell you more than a color ever will.

 

Start with a collection you already know and work backward from there. Once you can place a bag in its season, you stop shopping by label and start shopping by moment, which is a far more interesting way to build a wardrobe.