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Everything you need to know about the Dior’s classic bag – the Lady Dior
Ever since Princess Diana was photographed carrying her new Lady Dior bag, this model has been a sought-after purchase for fashion lovers everywhere. With its classic styling and functionality, it makes for a perfect day or evening companion.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about this iconic style including a brief history, the materials used, prices, and more.
About the Lady Dior
Created by Dior’s successor Gianfranco Ferré in 1994, this style was originally called the ‘Chouchou,’ meaning “favorite” in French.
Ferré’s quilted criss-cross cannage motif was inspired by the Napoleon III chairs used in the House’s first fashion show in 1947.
The original design also featured a boxy silhouette, top handles, and a Dior charm. Like the cannage motif, the addition of the charm played homage to the House’s namesake. Indeed, Christian Dior always kept lucky charms with him.
The year after the bag was released former French First Lady Bernadette Chirac gifted it to the Princess of Wales on a trip to Paris.
Lady Diana quickly took to the bag and was photographed carrying it on several occasions. It wasn’t long before the bag received its current name: the Lady Dior.
Lady Dior – Materials
Traditionally, the Lady Dior is made from cannage-quilted lambskin. That said, Dior releases new editions of the Lady Dior every season, so it’s possible to find styles made from other skins like calfskin, patent leather, python, ostrich, and crocodile.
In addition to leathers and exotic skins, the House has produced editions of the Lady Dior in various materials like tweed, sequins, and beading.
There are generally four hardware options available—gold, silver, champagne (a light pale gold color), and color-coordinated Ultra Matte.
Lady Dior Sizes
This model comes in five different sizes, ranging from the Micro Lady Dior to the Large Lady Dior.
The Micro size holds your smallest essentials like lipstick, keys, and a card case. It can be carried by hand or across the body with a stap.
Lady Dior Mini is the next size up. It can hold larger essentials like a phone, earbuds, and a pocket notebook. Like the Micro size, it can also be carried by hand or cross-body.
After the Mini comes the Small. This size fits a water bottle and perhaps a paperback book. As with the two previous sizes, it can be carried by hand or with a cross-body strap.
The Medium can also be carried by hand or across the body and can hold a small touch-screen tablet.
Finally, the Large can accommodate beauty products and larger items like a laptop. It also provides the cross-body option for hands-free carrying.
See the table below for the exact dimensions of each size.
Lady Dior Bag Size | Dimensions (LxHxW) Inches | Dimensions (LxHxW) Centimeters |
Micro | 6” x 5” x 3” | 12 x 10.2 x 5 |
Mini | 6.7” x 5.9” x 3” | 17 x 15 x 7 |
Small | 8” x 6.5” x 3” | 20 x 17 x 8 |
Medium | 9” x 8” x 4” | 24 x 20 x 11 |
Large | 12.5” x 10” x 4” | 32 x 25 x 11 |
Classic colors include black, grey, and nude, but Dior reimagines this style using new colors and patterns every season so the sky’s the limit when it comes to finding a color you like.
Lady Dior Prices
Check out the table below for 2023 Lady Dior prices. These prices are for leather bags. Other materials have different prices.
Lady Dior Bag Size | Price (USD) | Price (EUR) |
Micro | $3,800 | €2,900 |
Mini | $5,300 | €4,300 |
Small | $5,500 | €4,500 |
Medium | $6,100 | €5,000 |
Large | $6,500 | €5,400 |
Is the Lady Dior Worth It?
Whether or not a bag is “worth it” is subjective and depends on your tastes and budgets. Therefore, it’s difficult to say definitively whether or not the Lady Dior is the right choice for you.
In the absence of an clear answer, we can provide you with some pros and cons to think about before making your decision.
On the positive side of things, this is a classic bag that won’t go out of style for a long time.
It’s also well-crafted (it takes seven craftsmen a minimum of eight hours to make one bag) with the finest materials, so you can feel confident about the quality.
Another plus of this bag is its versatility. With the option of carrying the Lady Dior cross-body or by hand, it can transition from day to night without skipping a beat.
While there are many positives to this bag, there are a few downsides. For one, younger buyers may find the style a bit old fashioned and stuffy.
Another negative to this bag is that the metal charms rub against each other and get scratched. These scratches aren’t super obvious but this could deter pickier buyers.
The Lady is also heavier than similar bags, especially relative to its size. As a result, it might not be the right choice for those who prefer lightweight bags.
Lastly, this model does not hold its value well on the resale market, so if you’re hoping to resell it one day, be prepared to lose some money.
With all of that said, the Lady Dior is definitely a beautiful, well-constructed, and versatile bag. If you love it, then don’t let the minor drawbacks influence your decision.
Styling a Lady Dior Bag
The Lady Dior is a more dressy bag, however, that does not mean that you cannot style it in a more casual way. See below some inspiration on how to style a Lady Dior in different ways and with different types of outfits.
Is It Hard to Get It?
Unlike a lot of other luxury bags, it’s not difficult to get a Lady Dior. This model is readily available in boutiques and on the Dior website.
There are also plenty of secondhand bags for sale on third-party reselling websites.
Lady Dior Resale Value
Unfortunately, Lady Dior bags don’t hold their value very well. That said, this bag be changing. In fact, the value of the bag increased over 14% between 2014 and 2016.
The mini, small, and medium have the best resale values. Similarly, classic colors like black, beige, and dark blue also tend to have a higher value on the secondhand market.
Limited edition or rare bags also fetch higher prices when resold and may even appreciate in value.
Check out some beautiful Lady Dior bags at great prices here: