The Lady Dior, Princess Diana’s handbag of choice. The saddle bag — curvilinear and controversial — resurrected from its early-noughties’ Sex and the City affiliation. The book tote. The Diorama. The Bobby. And now, introducing: the Dior Caro, the newest in a long line of greats.
Dior’s line-up of handbags are not only signifiers of the French Maison’s legacy of exquisite craftsmanship, but also tangible evidence of the brand’s finger on the pulse of culture at-large.
18,000. That’s the jaw-dropping number of stitches needed to carve out the iconic Cannage stitching on the new Dior Caro. A recurring House code, you’ll notice the emblematic quilting on the Lady Dior; the very same that harks back to the original stitching on Napoleon III’s chairs — the prototypical inspiration — which used to populate Dior’s runway shows.
Threads of yesteryear are, then, recurrent motifs; symbols fleshing out Dior’s creations that link past to future.
Alongside the signature quilting, fans of Dior’s 30 Montaigne collection will immediately recognise the Dior Caro’s statement ‘CD’ clasp, with its turn-lock concealed in plain sight vertically along the stem of the ‘D’. This hardware, of course, continues to be inspired by the seal of a Christian Dior perfume bottle — an example of the various markers that connect the brand’s beauty range to ready-to-wear; ready-to-wear to leather goods.
Dior’s version of the tie-dye method — a timely tribute, considering we’ve spent the better part of the year we’ve just bid adieu to learning how to perfect the dye technique — is christened ‘Tie & Dior’. This colourway bled through the Cruise 2021 show through silk twill head-scarfs, flowing maxi skirts and the smaller size of the Dior Caro; unfurling into pools of indigo and pale peaches and ivory white.
The Dior Caro is available in two sizes, each with an interchangeable chain strap that can be swapped out for the House’s collection of thicker fabric straps. The smaller size is cast in experimental colourways and textures like mint green, Tie & Dior and raw indigo denim, while the larger commits to timeless lambskin leather coloured in neutral shades of black, ivory and grey.
This story was first published on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
All images are courtesy of Dior
