Dior by John Galliano

JoliCloset currently lists 200 pieces from Dior's John Galliano era, averaging €879 across bags, ready-to-wear and jewellery. Galliano led Dior's design studio from 1996 to 2011, a fifteen-year run defined by the Oblique canvas, theatrical couture shows and the Saddle bag.

The era and its signature pieces

Debuted on the Spring/Summer 2000 runway, the Saddle bag remains the era's most recognisable design: an asymmetrical flap shaped like a horse's saddle, a bold "D" charm and exposed stitching. It sits alongside the Oblique canvas, nicknamed "Trotter" by collectors, which covered bags, luggage and clothing in an unapologetic logomania, turning up on the Romantique, Gaucho and Detective bags. The Lady Dior, first created in 1994 under Gianfranco Ferré and renamed after Princess Diana carried it in 1995, became one of the house's core lines throughout Galliano's tenure, produced in quilted cannage lambskin across several sizes. Malice, Gaucho and the Dior Girly line rounded out a wardrobe that also ran to theatrical ready-to-wear and jewellery, before Galliano's departure from the house in 2011.

What to look for by year and line

The most sought-after pieces date from 1999 to 2004, when the Oblique canvas dominated the collections. The mini Saddle, scarcer than the medium size, tends to trade above it. On coated canvas, check for cracking or peeling along the coating, common on pieces past their twentieth year. Galliano-era ready-to-wear is recognisable by structured tailoring and graphic prints, while jewellery often repeats the "D" charm or Oblique motifs.

Price and value on the pre-owned market

The average listed price across our 200 pieces is €879, spanning small leather goods to runway-worthy bags. The Saddle originally retailed well below what the house charges today; its 2018 relaunch under Maria Grazia Chiuri, at a markedly higher price point, renewed interest in the original Galliano-era pieces and supported their value on the pre-owned market. Rarer finds, limited colourways, the Rasta canvas, collaborative pieces, trade above the average.

Authentication and condition

Every bag carries a date code on the interior leather tag: two letters followed by four digits on the earliest pieces, an eight-character format on those from the late 2000s. The Saddle's "D" charm is engraved CD with the pointed serifs typical of the period. On Oblique canvas, examine the corners and seams first, the most common wear points. Browse the full range of Dior bags available on JoliCloset.