What makes a 'classic' in fashion is a definition that can be hard to pin down. What separates a trend from the timeless? Is it a tangible list of markers, or an unpredictable and therefore inimitable series of events that create the conditions for its birth? There are very few things in life that remain impervious to the passage of time, so what elevates a garment from simply a garment, to a sartorial objet d'art?
It's an alchemic set of skills that are present at the Dior atelier in Montaigne, Paris, where one of the French fashion house's most iconic and perennially popular bags, the Lady Dior – and it's counterparts the Lady D-Joy and Lady D-Lite bags – are painstakingly stitched together by hand. Since the design's debut on the arm of Princess Diana in the mid-90s, the bag has remained a testament to the exceptional savoir-faire of the Maison, and a symbol of elegance and timelessness.
With a namesake as iconic as the late Princess Diana, how could it not be?
Its design was inspired by the Napoleon III chairs, which were used in Christian Dior's first-ever runway show for the French fashion House back in 1947. Reinterpreting their intricate quilted criss-cross cannage and boxy silhouette, the bag was baptised anew through the eyes of the Maison's current creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has overseen its expansion into a much larger range of sizes, colour ways and finishes.
For the pages of our Intuition issue, photographer Kitty Callaghan took to the streets of Paris, armed with an arsenal of the iconic bags, to lens them amongst the landmarks of their birthplace. Through her lens, we're shown that, even in the cradle of its origin, perhaps timelessness is not simply a testament to staying power, but a willingness to transform, expand and reinterpret oneself fearlessly and with abandon.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Joy bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Joy bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Joy bag.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Joy bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Lite bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag.
Left: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady Dior bag. Right: CHRISTIAN DIOR Lady D-Joy bag.
To experience the Intuition issue in its entirety, the September edition of RUSSH will be available on newsstands from 31 August and through our shop online. Read more about the inspiration behind the issue in Jess Blanch's editor's letter, and get to know our cover star, Emily Miller, through our exclusive model profile. Wanting to purchase the Intuition issue in person? Find a stockist near you.
