The Dior "Ethnic Bag": Excuse Me? - Fashionista - Fashion Designers, Models, Shopping, Style

dior ethnic bag fuchsia.jpg Sometimes we’re confused by designer judgment. Like remember the season when all of Valentino’s ballgowns looked like eclairs? And the time that Dolce & Gabbana fused new rave with jungle? And now that Rodarte’s had a really standout season with incredible tailoring, we hope everyone can agree - or at least acknowledge - that their earlier pillowcase poufs weren’t really working.

Add to the high fashion mishaps the Christian Dior bag at left.

At first we just thought, “God, that is so hideous.”

But then we noticed the name: The Dior Ethnic Hobo Bag.

Ethnic, exactly, how? Is it the wannabe hand-sewn edges, so much like our Jewish grandmother’s challah covers? Is it the braided strap, perhaps meant to evoke images of African village women plaiting with their families? Or maybe fuchsia just screams “Russian” (like Faran) or “Cuban” (like both Natalies) or “Egyptian” like Britt. Or something.

We know it can’t be marketing- as an office of “ethnic” women, we all “ugh”-ed in unison upon mere sight of the bag.

Really, we are totally stumped. Can anyone explain this one?

posted by kenya

Nov 29, 2007 3:58PM

now dior is marketing to hobos. they must really be desperate for sales.

posted by guest

Nov 29, 2007 4:09PM

Perhaps "ethnic" is being misused for "generic"?

posted by Laia

Nov 29, 2007 4:12PM

The problem here might be more in the meaning that Americans have attached to the word "ethnic" than anything else, since all it means is something particular to a group of people.

posted by Frank

Nov 29, 2007 4:13PM

Can we discuss how the term "hobo" is offensive? ;)

posted by FWD

Nov 29, 2007 4:19PM

I don't know which I hate more, the summer camp crafts closet braid, or the twee little heart. Did this come free with a Bratz doll?

posted by Emi

Nov 29, 2007 4:25PM

Kenya...Hobo is the name of the style and shape of the bad :)

The bag looks...very...Barbie for Dior!

posted by Jacqueminette

Nov 29, 2007 4:48PM

Quite offensive. The "hobo" that follows it just adds insult to injury; after all, the dictionary does not recognize it's connection to accessories. Is anyone familiar with the etymology of that word? How on earth did it come to describe a kind of handbag?

posted by elisa

Nov 29, 2007 6:04PM

that is offensive.

what is the deal with fashion's definition of ethnic? i am quite sure that german(myself) is just as much an ethnicity as african, egyptian and cuban. so if it was french- or german-culture inspired, would it be called ethnic? you can bet not.

and its obviously not about traditional cultures vs. modern ones. because we dont call the emaciated tiny-village-in-estonia-hailing refugee models "ethnic." but we do call an american girl named CHANEL ethnic.

posted by miss

Nov 29, 2007 6:13PM

i'm not sure where where the nomenclature 'hobo' comes from but people like Emi have no idea there is even a history behind it.

my first guess is that it is in the style of an unstructured sack of minimal belongings a homeless traveler carries?

and then i looked on wikipedia and found "This style of purse is called a hobo bag because it resembles the shape of the bindle on a stick that hobos are portrayed as carrying over their shoulder in drawings and cartoons."

Nov 29, 2007 11:34PM

Ay, the TJ Maxx-shopping yet irrepressibly snobbish tone of this joint seemed so familiar, so much like... my abuela. Two cubanitas on staff, it makes sense!

posted by James

Nov 30, 2007 12:17AM

My understanding is that hobo comes from the term "hoe-boy", which refers to migrant agricultural workers who carried their own tools...notably, a hoe.

You couldn't possiblity fit a hoe in that bag.

Nov 30, 2007 12:50AM

Yet , only a ho could pull it off
te hee

Nov 30, 2007 11:54AM

I hate, hate, HATE the term "ethnic" when used to describe people. At best it's a lazy way of calling something "not-cookie-cutter." At worst, it's just a condescending, [barely] veiled racist way of saying "not white" because it assumes that white is the standard and anything else is "different."

In terms of fashion, I think it's so widely used that it's become pretty meaningless, as we see with this bag. Which IS ugly.

posted by muybella_vista

Dec 01, 2007 2:52PM

A. Horrible!
B. "Ho-Bo" is yes a weird term but its really only used to describe the shap of the bag
C. Ethnic?? Not so. Actually people in the fashion world should X out that word from their vocab and come up with somethig else.

Dec 01, 2007 6:40PM

Hmmm, like maybe educate themselves on other cultures so that they can refer to the specific ethnicity?