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The History of the Lady Dior Bag

From the first time it was carried to present day iterations, here is a look at one of the most iconic bags of all time

As we continue to delve into the history of some of the most iconic bags, one that will forever be quintessentially classic is the Lady Dior Bag. Born in 1995, the first time this bag appeared was on the arm of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, on a trip to Paris.

Before that moment, this Dior bag did not have a name but because of the historic moment snapped with this bag on her arm, it received the perfect name: the Lady Dior.

Princess Diana with Dior Chouchou bag
©REX/SIPA
©Cherruault/SIPA
© Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

That wasn’t the only time Lady Diana would be pictured with this bag. She was spotted many times carrying the Lady Dior which quickly became synonymous with her personal style.

The original Lady Dior from 1995. © Dior

From that moment 25 years ago, the Lady Dior catapulted to a spot in handbag history and quickly became an iconic symbol. The bag itself is classic in its design, with clean, architectural lines which are dressed up with metallic charms. As with many cornerstone designs, this bags pays homage to elements of the House.

The charms are reflective of the lucky charms Christian Dior always kept with him. Another house staple is the Cannage motif, which dates back to the Napoleon III seats the couturier set up for guests at his fashion shows.

Dior Dress from F/W 1948 Collection. © Association Willy Maywald/ADAGP, Paris, 2023
Napoleon III Chair. © All rights reserved.

The Lady Dior Bag has been re-imagined, season after season for the past two and a half decades, which makes it a bag easy to love. A timeless elegance exudes from the soft lambskin and rounded handles, along with the topstitched Cannage motif. Today’s versions of the Lady Dior bag offer playful charms to personalize the bag to your liking along with a wide shoulder strap which gives a more effortlessly wearable vibe. There are plenty of sizes, different hardware options, and materials differ from leather to embroidery.

Various new Lady Dior bags for the S/S 1997 Collection. © Dior

Playing into the House’s close link with the arts, Dior has enlisted artists to partake in its Dior Lady Art project which allowed artists varying from sculptors to designers to painters, to reinterpret this bag with their own creative twist. This has been a 4 part series, allowing the understated Lady Dior to be re-imagined in entirely new and interesting ways. Dior has created its “Lady Dior As Seen By” traveling exhibition as a way for us to view these masterpieces up close and personal.

Lady Dior Bag, RTW F/W 2009. © Guy Marineau
Lady Dior Bag, RTW F/W 2009. © Guy Marineau

This season, Dior introduced its newest iteration of the Lady Dior Bag: the Lady D-Lite (pictured below). This minimalist version still features the Cannage motif, but this time it’s created with 3-D embroideries. The tone-on-tone coloring is subtle and modern with five colorways offered: Bois De Rose, beige, black, and gray all with pale gold hardware or a white option with silver hardware. The Lady D-Lite epitomizes elegance and beauty while offering a casual and wearable finish. You can shop all current Lady Dior items on Dior.com here.

Few bags are able to last multiple seasons let alone a few decades, yet the Lady Dior Bag certainly holds one of the few coveted seats in the handbag world: that of a timeless iconic staple. If you want to learn more about the Lady Dior Bag, check out our Ultimate Guide to the Lady Dior Bag.

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