The Story of Two Ladies: Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Lady Dior handbag

The intriguing history of why the maison’s iconic design came to be known as the “Lady Dior”

Today, the Lady Dior handbag is best known as one of the icons of Dior. The story behind the bag – particularly its name – is arguably no less mesmerizing than the bag itself. In short, the Lady Dior handbag is symbolically linked to the story of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales.

In September 1995, while attending the opening of the Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, the First Lady of France presented Lady Diana with a brand-new Dior bag – then called the Chouchou – a creation that had not yet been launched. Then, in November of the same year, the princess was on an official trip to Argentina. As she exited the plane in Buenos Aires, she appeared carrying the bag she had received as a gift a few weeks earlier – a scene immortalized in a photograph that went around the world.

The accessory became one of Lady Di’s must-haves, and she wore it on all her outings. She also famously wanted a navy-blue version to match her eye colour. Thanks to this exceptional godmother who loved its modern, elegant curves – and simply “because it suited [her] well,” in her own words – this object of desire was officially renamed the Lady Dior. The legendary status of the iconic bag, with its extraordinary destiny, was sealed.

Last but not least, the extraordinary savoir-faire behind the Lady Dior is also worth discovering (or rediscovering) once more:

(Hero image; photo credit: Getty Images)