When Princess Diana was spotted carrying the newly minted
Lady Dior bag back in 1995, it sent the timeless top-handle
design soaring into the style stratosphere. Its status as a
sought-after wardrobe item hasn’t waned since, but now
reinvented by contemporary artists in ultra-limited-edition
runs, the picture-perfect Lady Dior has moved from iconic
symbol of elegance to ultimate collectors’ items. And we mean
placed under glass, handled-with-velvet-gloves collectable.
The capsules are produced in such limited quantities that
many sell out before they hit the shop floor.
After continuing to gain momentum since launching in 2016,
the latest Dior Lady Art project marks the fourth time that the
house of Christian Dior has worked with creatives from around
the world to inject their universes into that of the luxury label’s.
“[For my creation], the idea was to make the person who
holds the bag have a similar experience to holding a bouquet of
flowers,” explains South Korean artist Jia Lee, whose painterly
blooms reference her impressionist influences—as well as
monsieur Dior’s fascination with nature. The house founder
dreamed of becoming an architect before his alternate destiny
as one of the world’s most influential fashion designers became
reality. This note in history inspired the geometric lines on the
luxury carryall by Eduardo Terrazas, an architect-turned-artist
based out of Mexico. Meanwhile, South African creative
Athi-Patra Ruga channelled the couturier’s spirit of savoir faire
and “interpreted the sculptural quality of my work into
something wearable” with his royal-blue Lady Dior design
featuring opulently embroidered pearls and crystals.
With all eleven of the creatives tapped to use the accessory as
a medium for artistic expression applying this kind of conceptual
framework, it’s little wonder that the world’s bag connoisseurs
are eager to get their hands on the resulting mini masterpieces.
And that’s before you begin to factor in the functional and
fashionable benefits of owning a Dior carryall. What else delivers
that kind of return on investment? —NATALIE MELLphotographed by PHILIP LE MASURIERstyled by KATHERINE GREENWith the latest instalment of its Dior Lady
Art project, Christian Dior delivers the
ultimate high-fashion collectors’ items
Objects
of desire
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