-SPECIAL- “BALENCIAGA” 2013-17 Le dix mixed leather shoulder bag

Founded in 1917 in Spain, Balenciaga has continually refreshed its silhouette under each era's creative directors, and with founder Cristóbal Balenciaga's architectural silhouette and couture spirit as a backdrop, we present an exquisite piece from BALENCIAGA that embodies the Alexander Wang era.

By unifying smooth leather, grain leather, and croc-embossed leather in black, this piece quietly creates depth through the contrast of textures.

This model corresponds to the Le Dix series, launched in the early Alexander Wang era when he became BALENCIAGA's creative director, beginning with the 2013 A/W collection; named after 10 George V Street, where founder Cristóbal Balenciaga's couture house stood, it marks a meaningful line that reconnects the brand's origins with modern bag design.

The front is based on a horizontally elongated, refined silhouette; by using smooth leather for the upper flap to accentuate a sharp sheen, and placing the lower part with grain leather that has a fine texture to add everyday strength and dimensionality, you get visual depth within the same black, resulting in a minimalist yet never monotonous composition.

In the center, a rectangular antique-gold metal plate is set, bearing a slender BALENCIAGA logo, and the understated typography contrasts with the current bold logo design, expressing the urban, refined mood characteristic of the Alexander Wang era.

The closure is a square push-lock, with the flap’s straight lines echoing the architectural shape of the hardware; the bag’s significant value lies in the fact that the structure itself is a design, not merely decorative glamour.

On the sides, accordion gussets are provided, which not only cause the bag’s depth to rise beautifully when viewed from the side but also create natural expansion when stored, thereby delivering both the classic handbag elegance and practicality.

Additionally, the side panels and the included leather tag use crocodile-embossed leather, adding a distinct tension compared with the flap and body leathers, quietly expressing the texture switching that Alexander Wang excelled at within a single color.

Two slim metal rails on the back serve as bottom protection when the bag is placed down, while also bringing the couture maison’s horizontal line beauty to the base; this detail, even in unseen areas, maintains the straight-line tension and illustrates the Le Dix series’ level of completeness.

Inside, it features a black textile lining, and because there is a zip pocket behind the flap, storage is secured without compromising the exterior’s pristine appearance; the 2-way design with a top handle and a shoulder strap allows seamless switching between a handheld, classic impression and shoulder-carry practicality.

Naturally, it is best dated to the 2013–2017 period; this is because the Le Dix series was introduced as a bag line symbolizing the Alexander Wang era for the 2013 A/W season, and the slim BALENCIAGA PARIS logo visible on the front and interior differs from the thicker, tightly spaced new logo introduced from late 2017 onward, giving strong alignment in both model timing and logo evolution.

The value of this bag lies not only in being a BALENCIAGA archive bag, but in stepping away from the ornamentation seen in the Nicolas Ghesquière era editors’ bags and reinterpreting Cristóbal Balenciaga’s architectural aesthetic through rigid leather, linear hardware, and a refined gusset structure.

Unlike the street- and irony-infused luxury of the current Demna era, this piece feels cleaner and more classic BALENCIAGA, and can be regarded as a masterwork that symbolizes the Alexander Wang era—a brief yet clearly directed chapter in the brand’s history.

As styling notes, pairing it with a tailored jacket or a long coat makes the bag’s linear silhouette neatly pull the whole look together, while pairing it with a drapey shirt or wide-leg slacks preserves the urban tension typical of the Alexander Wang era, guiding toward a sophisticated balance that transcends gender.

Additionally, pairing it with a simple dress or a minimalist ensemble subtly deepens the crocodile-embossed texture and the grain leather, ensuring the bag doesn't look like it's floating, while refining the overall mood to a more luxurious level.