Designer 101
The Italian fashion designer, Gianfranco Ferré, first created the rectangular handbag covered with the house’s Cannage pattern, accented with a top handle and adorned with charms in 1995.
When the bag first came out, its name wasn’t the Lady Dior, but the Chouchou (“favorite” in French).
Bernadette Chirac, the then-first lady of France, presented a black version of the Christian Dior Chouchou bag to Princess Diana in 1995. At the time, the bag was so exclusive that it wasn’t available at retail.
Princess Diana expressed her love for the bag and was seen wearing it multiple times. The fashion house thought it suited her well, and in 1996, the handbag was officially renamed the Lady Dior.
The bag that was famously inspired by Princess Diana had an elegant and charming element that became very popular in the early aughts.
Charlotte wore a bright pink one on Sex and the City 2, and a black one in the promo photos for And Just Like That…
The Lady Dior was ubiquitous on the original Gossip Girl, a favorite of Blair Waldorf, who carried several iterations of it through the run of the show.
Celebrities and influencers love the Lady Dior bag. It has been photographed with both Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, Blake Lively (pictured above), Emma Roberts, and Priyanka Chopra.
Meghan Markle paid homage to the handbag named after her late mother-in-law when she carried a Dior LADY D-LITE BAG for an appearance with Prince Harry.
The Lady Dior has passed the test of time and continues to be one of Christian Dior's most sought-after handbags.