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Not that it makes my infatuations any better, but my love of brands, clothing, handbags, etc root in the history
of the product(s), and not necessarily in the trends. At the very least I like to research items before buying. For example, I answered a popular question about Doc Marten boots here, but also gave you their background. What can I say? I like to know things! It makes for great “cocktail conversation”, whatever that used to be. RIP parties and networking socials I actually disliked.

Keep reading for my thoughts on the Gucci Dionysus Bag, specifically the Mini Leather Chain Bag. Oh and happy 100th birthday to Gucci at that! Founded in Florence, Italy by Guccio Gucci in 1921.

Dionysus Mini Leather Chain Bag | Lucy Paris Top ( c/o) | Madewell Jeans (c/o) | Aerie Sunglasses | Cariuma Sneakers (c/o)

My love of knowing the “why” behind everything is pretty much in general, but I have a soft spot for fashion. This was one of the many reasons I chose to study apparel merchandising in college. We of course covered all of the big fashion houses in school and I read as many books as I could get my hands on; but, to be honest, Gucci was never my favorite. I was more of a Chanel girl, though aren’t we all 😉 The one thing I recall learning about Gucci in school was how Tom Ford helped it come out of bankruptcy and become relevant again. He made it sexy and somewhat scandalous. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Look about the ad where he had the Gucci logo shaved you know where… Anyway, Ford was there from 1994-2004. After his departure, Gucci floundered and pretty much became irrelevant for the next 10 years. That is until Alessandro Michele was named Creative Director back in 2015. Now Gucci is back on the map and is bigger than ever!

I know – you want to hear about the Dionysus! Well I had to get through all of the above to talk about it, because the handbag design was first introduced in the 2015 Fall / Winter collection under Alessandro Michele, the current creative director!

Why I love the Dionysus

I really like that it is by the current Gucci creative director, while he is still in that role. I also really like that it is a notable design at only 6 years old, but isn’t something you see a lot of like the quilted / Marmont camera bags and such. It doesn’t scream Gucci, but if you know, you know, as it is sure to become a classic. The original Dionysus bags came in the signature GG monograms which you can still get, but I prefer the smooth and supple leathers, sans lettering. On that note, I enjoy the fact that it is a mixture of old Gucci and new Gucci. Even if you don’t choose the original monogramming, the “U” clasp with the double tiger closure is very, what can I say… Gucci 😉

Don’t forget the history!! Dionysus is the Greek god of agriculture, fertility, wine, life, pleasure and dance and of immortality. The U shaped tiger head closure on the Dionysus bag nods to the Gucci tiger, but also references Greek mythology from which it came. It is said that Zeus sent Dionysus a tiger to cross the Tigris River on.