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Too much of a good thing?

One of the first 'It' bags I owned was the Dior Saddle bag. It was in denim, had brown leather trimmings and dangling from one of the handles was a big D. It was my pride and joy - every time I flung it around my shoulder, I felt as though I was Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City. The bag made its debut in 1999 when John Galliano had become the creative director of Dior. A few months later, when Sarah Jessica Parker flaunted it in Sex And The City, the bag's status was sealed - it was the bag that every girl wanted. Shaped like a saddle, it fitted over one's shoulders perfectly.
Three years ago, when I was packing to move to Dubai, I realised that I had lost my Saddle bag. And about 10 days ago, I was going through my Instagram feeds when many influencers, editors and even fashion magazine accounts began to post pictures of the Saddle bag all of a sudden. Everybody was going to town with Dior's Saddle bag. For a minute, I felt nostalgic. But as the day progressed, I saw more and more girls on my timeline posting about the bag - some of them had not even acknowledged that it was a gift. What followed was a debate on whether Dior had violated Instagram's own endorsement rules by cleverly gifting the bags to influencers.
Dior is a fashion house that takes pride in its elegance. However, there was nothing elegant about this campaign. A bag as iconic as the Saddle deserved to be treated with more finesse. Even if I had my original Saddle bag, I would be embarrassed to be flaunting it like that.
Which is why I was surprised when I saw several posts from the influencers set carrying the Louis Vuitton 'New Wave' bag. For many of us, Louis Vuitton is the first luxury purchase we ever make simply because as far as luxury goes, it is the 'Big Daddy'.
One of the monogram bags of the highest-selling luxury brand is a must-have in every fashion girl's collection. Their 'New Wave' bag has a very 80s vibe to it with a quilted lambskin body and a gold chain leather strap. And since that decade is seeing a comeback, it is a bag that may appeal to many a young fashionista. It comes with a multicoloured Louis Vuitton tag on top of a bag, making it hard to miss this piece of arm candy. LV has obviously worked with a more limited set of influencers - and in a more subtle way. But coming right after Dior's social media campaign, it seemed very 'me-too' (I did not see any of the Middle Eastern influencers post pictures of the 'New Wave'). I do not believe such campaigns can work, as you eventually get tired of seeing the bag over and over again. Seeing too much of something, for me, is off-putting. But perhaps I am not a member of Gen Z, and this is the way of future. Only time will tell if this marketing technique can work - I hope it does not.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com