Lady Dior
TypeHandbag
InventorGianfranco Ferré
Inception1994 (1994)
ManufacturerChristian Dior SE
AvailableYes
Websitehttps://www.dior.com/en_us/fashion/womens-fashion/bags/handbags?collection_filter=Lady%20Dior Edit this on Wikidata

Lady Dior is a commercial name given to a handbag by the Christian Dior company in honor of Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed by Gianfranco Ferré in 1994 under the name Chouchou, and was later renamed as Princesse before being renamed as Lady Dior. French actress Marion Cotillard was the ambassador of Lady Dior for nine years, from 2008 to 2017, even designing her own handbag for the brand in 2012.

History

In 1995,[1][2] Bernadette Chirac wished to give the Diana, Princess of Wales, a unique handbag on the occasion of her visit to Paris. When France's first lady contacted Dior in her search for such a bag, the House offered her a model designed by Gianfranco Ferré in 1994,[3] unofficially named Chouchou ("favorite" in French) at the time.[4] It was officially renamed as Princesse in the short term.[1]

The bag, black in color, was presented to the former Lady Diana at the inauguration of the Cézanne[5][N 1] exhibition at the Grand Palais. It was often photographed[5][8] carried by Diana at public events:[2] she had it with her in Birmingham during an official visit; again a few weeks later during a stay in Argentina;[9] then on several further occasions.[10][11] Her accessories also signified true appreciation of luxury, beyond expected brands to be worn by a British princess, and her personal relationships with the world's most prestigious houses.[12] It was soon being described as "iconic",[5] and "legendary", and was launched in larger series, with its name changed to Lady Dior.[1][4] Two hundred thousand models were sold in two years[13] and Dior's leather goods turnover increased tenfold.[14] The bag in turn gave its name to a watch in 1999 and inspired a makeup product by Parfums Christian Dior.[15][16]

Characteristics

Lady Dior is a handbag that adopts Dior's graphic codes and is generally decorated with a cannage[N 2] (caning) motif inspired by two items of furniture found in Dior's private mansion on Avenue Montaigne since 19473: the Napoléon III chairs on which the couturier seated the guests at his runway shows, and the back of a neo-Louis XVI medallion armchair Louis XV.[20] The bag is composed of one hundred and forty four pieces in total[4] and is rectangular and rigid, with the four gold- or silver-tone D-I-O-R letters and the Dior logo suspended from the handle as charms. It is available in different materials featuring various techniques (leather, velvet, microfiber, satin, denim, python, crocodile, tweed, jacquard, etc.), and in several sizes.[1]

An iteration of the bag called Lady D-Lite was introduced by the fashion house in 2019, which features a reversible and removable shoulder strap.[21] It was notably carried by Diana's daughter-in-law, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at an event in 2021.[22]

Advertising

Marion Cotillard was the face of the Lady Dior handbag from 2008 to 2017.

Chosen by designer John Galliano,[23] French actress Marion Cotillard became the face of Lady Dior in 2008,[24][1] a role she played until 2017.[25]

In addition to multiple publications in the press photos by Peter Lindbergh, Craig McDean, Tim Walker and Jean-Baptiste Mondino,[26] Cotillard starred in several short film commercials, mainly intended to be released on the internet.[27] The first was The Lady Noire Affair, directed by Olivier Dahan,[28] followed by Lady Rouge by Jonas Åkerlund.[29] The latter followed a series of photos by Annie Leibovitz.[29] Next came Lady Blue Shanghai, a sixteen-minute film directed by David Lynch.[30] Two more films were directed by John Cameron Mitchell in 2011; Lady Grey London,[31] a seven-minute silent film co-starring Ian McKellen,[32] and L.A.dy Dior.[33] Cotillard recalled, "I suggested this director [Mitchell] to Dior. They didn't know him, but they haven't wanted to let him go since!"[34]

The CEO of Christian Dior Couture, Sidney Toledano, said of these short films that the "strategic objective is to make people dream by telling beautiful stories".[23]

In 2012, Cotillard starred in the web-series Lady Dior Web Documentary, and wrote and performed the song "Lily's Body" for one episode. She also designed her own handbag for Lady Dior, the "360° bag".[35]

In 2014, Cotillard wrote and co-directed alongside Eliott Bliss,[36] a music video for her song "Snapshot in LA", especially for Lady Dior's campaign "Enter The Game – Dior Cuise 2015".[37][38]

Exhibition

Organized by Dior, a touring exhibition six years in the making[39] and entitled Lady Dior As Seen By traveled to China,[40] Japan,[39] Italy,[40][41] and Brazil from 2012 onwards. It presented over a hundred works by photographers – the likes of Patrick Demarchelier, Bruce Weber and Ellen Von Unwerth[42] – visual artists, sculptors, designers and painters,[5] all inspired by the Lady Dior bag. As all the collaboration with famous artists, Lady Dior has been seen as the bond of art and fashion.[43]

In popular culture

In 2022, the bag was featured in the season five of the Netflix series The Crown carried by actress Elizabeth Debicki, who portrayed Princess Diana.[44]

Celebrity ambassadors

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ In 1995, the Cézanne exhibition in Paris was partly financed by LVMH - Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a subsidiary of the Christian Dior holding company.[6][7]
  2. ^ Caning is a recurring decorative element at Dior; it is found on the Lady Dior, but also on jewelry or on the facade of the Dior building in Japan.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bongrand, Caroline; Müller, Florence (April 2011), "Lady Dior", Inspiration Dior (in French), Paris: Éditions de La Martinière, pp. 220–227, ISBN 978-2-7324-4623-3, Inspi2011, L'épouse du président de la République française, Bernadette Chirac, souhaitait offrir à la princesse Diana un sac exceptionnel, différent de tout ce que l'on voyait alors. […] Lady Diana […] s'en empara avec la plus grande joie, pour ne plus le quitter. […] Lady Diana […] emporte partout son Lady Dior, le faisant, dès sa naissance, entrer dans le panthéon des classiques.
  2. ^ a b "Clutch a piece of history". The Hindu Business Line. Luxury & Fashion. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013. The story behind the Lady Dior bag is the closest we'll get to a real life fairytale – after all, it involves a princess! Apparently, in 1995, France's then First Lady Bernadette Chirac, gifted Lady Diana with the latest creation from the House of Dior.
  3. ^ Clark, Rebekah. "Did you know the Lady Dior bag once had a different name?". Grazia. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Jérôme Hanover (4 March 2011). Le Figaro (ed.). "Le secret des grandes griffes: un sac de lady". madame.lefigaro.fr. Style (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Le Lady Dior est depuis dix ans un indétrônable best-seller de la maison de l'avenue Montaigne.
  5. ^ a b c d Bénédicte Épinay (8 June 2012). Groupe Les Échos (ed.). "Dior Arty". Les Échos. Série Limitée (in French). p. 42. Retrieved 17 January 2013. Le Lady Dior, le sac iconique de la maison éponyme créé en 1995. […] Jamais sac n'aura été autant photographié au bras de sa royale propriétaire.
  6. ^ Patrick De Jacquelot (29 September 1995). Groupe Les Échos (ed.). "Exposition Cézanne: grand peintre, big business". Les Échos (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Aux entrées payées par les visiteurs vient s'ajouter une autre source importante de financement: le mécénat. L'exposition Cézanne bénéficie du soutien du groupe LVMH.
  7. ^ Monréal, Guy (1995). Éditions Jalou (ed.). "Grâce à LVMH,la princesse de Galles visite l'exposition Cézanne". L'Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode de Paris (in French). L'Officiel Paris (801): 80. ISSN 0030-0403. Rude journée pour la princesse de Galles : après avoir pris le thé à l'Élysée avec Mme Jacques Chirac, elle inaugurait, en compagnie du couple présidentiel et de M. et Mme Bernard Arnault, l'exposition Cézanne réalisée au Grand-palais grâce au soutien de LVMH et de Christian Dior.
  8. ^ Yan Bernard-Guilbaud (30 August 2012). "Diana, princesse et icône mode". Madame Figaro. Style (in French). Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013. Un cadeau qui restera dans les mémoires de la mode : le premier Lady Dior, sac devenu iconique.
  9. ^ Kostova, Yanita; Grgona, Natalia. Luxos Italia (ed.). "Lady Dior, the legendary bag". luxos.com. Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013. During her visit […] in Birmingham, Princess Diana was photographed sporting the bag by the worldwide press […]. A few weeks later in Argentina, during an official visit, she once again was snapped holding her favourite bag.
  10. ^ Schwarm, Barbara (February 1996). Éditions Jalou (ed.). "Méli mélo". L'Officiel (in French). L'Officiel Paris (802): 70. ISSN 0030-0403. Un sac pour Lady Di ! La Princesse Grace ne sera pas la seule à en avoir un à son nom. Gianni Versace y a pensé et vient d'en dédicacer un à la Princesse de Galles, qui s'appellera 'le Lady Di', en forme de boîte carrée un peu comme celui qu'elle porte partout en ce moment, cadeau de Mme Chirac. Un modèle matelassé de Dior, à deux anses et pampilles-initiales.
  11. ^ Photo 1 sur puretrend.com, Photo 2 sur puretrend.com, Photo 3 sur puretrend.com, Photo 4 sur purepeople.com, Photo 5 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine sur glamourparis.com
  12. ^ "Princess Diana's Beloved Lady Dior Bag Was Originally Called The Chouchou". British Vogue. 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  13. ^ Lionel Steinmann (9 October 1997). L'Expansion (ed.). "Dior vend mieux en direct". lexpansion.lexpress.fr. Économie. Retrieved 18 January 2013. Le petit sac matelassé baptisé Lady Dior […] a dépassé les 200 000 exemplaires depuis son lancement.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Schwarm, Barbara (1996). Éditions Jalou (ed.). "Méli mélo". L'Officiel (in French). L'Officiel Paris (808): 80. ISSN 0030-0403. Depuis le mois de novembre 1995, le chiffre de ventes de la maroquinerie de Christian Dior a été multiplié par dix, et cela uniquement à cause du modèle 'Lady Dior'.
  15. ^ Prisma Media, ed. (13 June 2011). "Une édition limitée en hommage au sac Lady Dior". beaute-addict.com. News (in French). Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013. Aujourd'hui, c'est une palette de fards pour les yeux proposée en édition limitée et numérotée qui s'inspire de cet accessoire emblématique.
  16. ^ Éditions Larivière, ed. (8 January 2009). "Lady make-up". fashion-dailynews.com. Beauté. Retrieved 18 January 2013. Dior lance cet adorable poudrier reproduisant à l'exact le mythique sac Lady.
  17. ^ Yves Mirande (25 May 2012). Groupe Les Échos (ed.). "Détails de luxe". Les Échos. Série Limitée (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Chez Christian Dior, le cannage traverse l'histoire de la maison : au 30, avenue Montaigne, les régiments de chaises dorées à cannage Napoléon III ont accueilli les élégantes dès le premier défilé. C'est ainsi que le motif fut introduit dans la maison.
  18. ^ Charlotte Brunel (13 October 2009). L'Express (ed.). "Le sac Granville, nouveau-né de Christian Dior". lexpress.fr. Styles (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Très vite, le cannage que l'on trouve sur les chaises dorées des salons devient un motif iconique.
  19. ^ Schwarm, Barbara (1996). "Méli mélo". L'Officiel (in French). L'Officiel Paris (803): 62. ISSN 0030-0403. Le motif 'cannage' de Dior, dont l'origine vient des chaises cannelées que Christian Dior lui-même utilisait les jours de défilé haute couture. Le sac cannage a déjà fait du chemin cet hiver et il fera des kilomètres ce printemps en cuir verni, en agneau ou en satin, dans des tons acidulés rosé, turquoise ou en beige et blanc, en micro- sac ou en vanity-case. Le modèle vedette s'appelle le 'Lady Dior'.
  20. ^ Francine Rivaud (20 January 2012). "Pourquoi Dior est éternel" (in French). Challenges.
  21. ^ Beard, Lanford (27 September 2021). "Meghan Markle Carried the Memory of Princess Diana During Her Global Citizen Appearance with Prince Harry". People. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  22. ^ Brown, Georgia (26 September 2021). "Meghan Markle pays tribute to Princess Diana with special outfit detail". Hello!. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  23. ^ a b Cathy Leitus (14 May 2009). Stratégies (ed.). "Dior vide son sac". strategies.fr. Marques (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2013. Pour porter la communication du sac Lady Dior, John [Galliano] a pensé à Marion Cotillard. […] Derrière l'objectif de notoriété et de vente […], Dior compte renforcer la relation directe avec ses clientes
  24. ^ "Naissance d'un mythe" (in French). Archived from the original on 2014-12-07.
  25. ^ a b "2017 Cannes Film Festival: Marion Cotillard on Supporting Young Designers". WWD. May 24, 2017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  26. ^ Raphaëlle Orsini (26 October 2012). Mondadori France (ed.). "Marion Cotillard incarne Lady Hampton pour Dior". grazia.fr. Mode (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Marion Cotillard incarne désormais Lady Hampton […] pour une campagne de pub shootée par le célèbre photographe Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
  27. ^ "Le cinéma au secours des marques ?". Libération. Mode (in French). 2 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013. Ainsi, Dior a produit une série de courts-métrages, Lady Dior, et fait appel à David Lynch, Olivier Dahan ou plus récemment John Cameron Mitchell.
  28. ^ Marion Dupuis (4 March 2011). Le Figaro (ed.). "La saga du Lady Dior se poursuit sur Internet". Madame Figaro (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. Le sac icône porté par Marion Cotillard est le héros d'une campagne cinématographique sur Internet.
  29. ^ a b Jennifer Neyt (8 August 2009). Condé Nast (ed.). "Marion Cotillard est "Lady Rouge"". vogue.fr. Mode (in French). Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2013. Après une première campagne réalisée par Peter Lindbergh […], Marion Cotillard réinterprète le rôle de Lady Dior pour une nouvelle publicité signée Annie Leibovitz.
  30. ^ SunHee Grinnell (26 May 2010). Condé Nast (ed.). "Dior's Lady Blue Shanghai, Chapter 3". vanityfair.com. Retrieved 17 January 2013. Directed by David Lynch, the third installment of the Lady Dior online handbag saga is a highly stylized and mysterious short film.
  31. ^ Élodie Mandel (7 December 2010). "Marion Cotillard mystérieuse dans Lady Grey". Plurielles. Mode (in French). Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013. L'actrice française s'envole pour Londres dans une campagne réalisée par John Cameron Mitchell et intitulée "Lady Grey London".
  32. ^ "Marion Cotillard in "Lady Grey London" – The Film". luxuo.com. 8 December 2010.
  33. ^ Duberman, Amanda (12 December 2011). "L.A.dy Dior is a Tease". Interview Magazine.
  34. ^ Sabas, Carolle (August 2012). Mario Sorrenti (photographs). "Belle étoile". Vogue Paris (in French) (929): 206. ISSN 0750-3628. L'aventure chez Dior, c'est aussi qu'ils ont fait mon éducation mode, ils m'ont éveillée à un monde que j'ignorais, à commencer par une vraie fascination pour Monsieur Christian Dior.
  35. ^ "Marion Cotillard to Design Bag for Christian Dior". designntrend.com. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  36. ^ "Marion Cotillard co-directs short film for Dior in France with Bliss Inc". The Location Guide. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  37. ^ "Enter the Game – Marion Cotillard – "Snapshot in LA"". YouTube. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  38. ^ "Behind The Scene "Enter the game"". YouTube. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  39. ^ a b Frédéric Martin-Bernard (25 April 2012). Le Figaro (ed.). "Le Lady Dior érigé en œuvres d'art". madame.lefigaro.fr. Style (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2013. La maison française a dévoilé quelque quatre-vingts photos et sculptures réalisées par des artistes autour de son sac emblématique.
  40. ^ a b J.J. Martin (11 October 2012). Wallpaper* (ed.). "'Lady Dior As Seen By' exhibition at Triennale di Milano". wallpaper.com. Fashion. Retrieved 17 January 2013. For a project that was born two years ago in Shanghai and has subsequently stopped in Beijing and Tokyo.
  41. ^ Marta Casadei (10 November 2012). Condé Nast (ed.). "Lady Dior alla Triennale". vogue.it. Shows (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2013. L'iconica borsa, amata da tutte le grandi donne del fashion system e non è stata reintepretata da artisti.
  42. ^ Eugénie Trochu (9 January 2012). Condé Nast (ed.). "Le mini-site Lady Dior As Seen By". vogue.fr. Expériences digitales (in French). Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013. La maison Dior a imaginé un mini-site en hommage au mythique sac Lady Dior.
  43. ^ "The Lady Dior As Seen By is a true marriage of art and fashion". The Fashionable Truth. 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  44. ^ Newbold, Alice (11 November 2022). "Princess Diana's Beloved Lady Dior Bag Was Originally Called The Chouchou". British Vogue.
  45. ^ "Iconic bags – Lady Dior". Trendissimo. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  46. ^ "Advertising Campaigns > Dior". La Bellucci. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  47. ^ "Marion Cotillard's Next Role: Dior Bag Lady". People. 28 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2016.

Further reading

External links

Bags and flexible containers
Diana, Princess of Wales
Marion Cotillard
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