The Lady Dior Handbag Gets a Striking New Look

This fall, the prim Lady Dior bag, recognized by its intricate leather stitching and distinctive metal charms, gets an exhilarating makeover. From Swiss-Guinean artist Namsa Leuba’s outlook on how African cultures are perceived in the West to John Giorno’s thought-provoking poetry, each artist brings their distinct perspective to the maison’s iconic accessory. We’ve chosen the most impactful designs from the limited-edition series, available at Dior boutiques nationwide starting Dec. 1.

Lee Bul

Using an industrial interpretation of couture techniques, Lee Bul affixes dozens of tiny plexiglass mirrors to the Lady Dior, simulating a single piece of shattered glass. The bag alludes to the artist’s 2012 installation, “Cella,” for the Miss Dior exhibition in Paris.

Dior Lady Art by Lee Bul, $9700

Hong Hao

Beijing-based artist Hong Hao scans everyday trinkets such as buttons, CDs, and pins, and organizes them according to color and size, creating an intricate print. Here, Hao recreates his pop art vision by fastening buttons, gems, and jewels onto the Lady Dior’s sleek black leather.

Dior Lady Art by Hong Hao, $5700

Friedrich Kunath

An image of German-born, Los Angeles–based artist Friedrich Kunath’s warm impasto painting of a couple in an intimate exchange at sunset covers his rendition of the Lady Dior. Kunath adds a playful cloud charm and glossy rainbow handles expressing his jovial take on the Dior woman.

Dior Lady Art by Friedrich Kunath, $7200

Namsa Leuba

Exploring how African cultural identities are perceived in the West, Swiss-Guinean photographer Namsa Leuba draws attention to the region’s ritual and ceremonial garb. This iteration of the Lady Dior re-creates one of her images with red, yellow, and green mink fur, a material central to the French fashion system and an important part of African ceremonial garments.

Dior Lady Art by Nasma Leuba, $12000

Betty Mariani

French artist Betty Mariani finds beauty in graffiti. The artist interprets street art by way of an intricate color-splattering technique. Clusters of beads and sequins add texture to the somber female figure’s hair, bringing dynamism to the mural-like surface.

Dior Lady Art by Betty Mariani, $7200

Jamilla Okubo

Jamilla Okubo, one of the youngest names contributing to the Lady Art series, is a recent Parsons School of Design graduate. The artist—of Kenyan descent—focuses on cultural identity, black culture, and the mistaken narratives surrounding the African diaspora. Okubo’s version of the Lady Dior features a stylized version of the artist’s “Afropick” pattern executed in beadwork.   

Dior Lady Art by Jamilla Okubo, $5700

Jack Pierson

Multihyphenate American artist Jack Pierson brings the dreamlike sketches he drafted in Paris to the demure accessory. Whirlpool doodles and bright-orange details on the handles and custom charms together express Pierson’s surreal vision.

Dior Lady Art by Jack Pierson, $7200

Spencer Sweeney

Visual artist, musician, and DJ Spencer Sweeney’s hectic life is best depicted through his chaotic 2014 self-portrait, a version of which is embroidered onto this bag. With an unfinished feeling, the messy stitchwork brings a complex, undone sense of elegance to the Lady Dior bag.

Dior Lady Art by Spencer Sweeney, $7200

David Wiseman

Inspired by nature, designer David Wiseman’s bronze-and-porcelain fireplace screen, depicting stylized vines and flowers, inform his portrayal of the Lady Dior bag. Wiseman brings his elaborate style to Christian Dior’s penchant for quilting and soft gray to the face of the bag, while accenting the charms with porcelain lily of the valley.

Dior Lady Art by David Wiseman, $7200

John Giorno

Poetry collides with fashion in John Giorno’s charismatic design. The 80-year-old poet and performance artist—a notable figure on the American art scene for 60 years—plasters his own verses over a vibrant, rainbow-patterned Lady Dior, one of which asserts that “you gotta burn to shine.”

Dior Lady Art by John Giorno, $7200