Read this Saddle against its lineage and the design choices line up exactly: the asymmetric, stirrup-clasp silhouette John Galliano drew up for Dior in 1999. Built from python (a centrepiece exotic skin permitted under CITES with the appropriate paperwork), the material does the quiet work the silhouette finishes off. With a 6 by 7 by 2 inch format, the piece carries with compact confidence rather than scale for scale's sake. Carried by enough of the right people that it has entered the small group of pieces one recognises before reading the label. Considered acquisitions of this kind tend to be the ones that anchor a collection rather than fill it. Brought to the room by Maison de Beaubigonne, with the consideration the line deserves.

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