The mini Lady Dior was seen on the arm of the royal in 1996.

Princess Diana’s style is in the spotlight once again, thanks to the release of season five of Netflix’s hit drama The Crown, which sees Elizabeth Debicki take on the royal role. Fans of the show, and of Diana’s style, have been enjoying seeing some of the princess’ most iconic fashion moments be recreated – and many will no doubt be pleased to discover that Dior is re-issuing perhaps her most famous accessory.

The French fashion house has today announced that the mini Lady Dior that was carried by Princess Diana to the Met Gala in 1996 will be re-issued on a limited-edition basis. The style – which was a smaller version of her favourite handbag – and which had been created for her especially, in blue satin, will be available to buy at Dior boutiques worldwide.

The history behind the Lady Dior – which remains one of the brand’s most well-known and popular items – is fascinating, with the house renaming the style after Diana because she loved it so much. According to the brand, it was in September 1995, while attending the opening of the Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, that the First Lady of France presented Diana with a brand new Dior bag, which was then called ’Chouchou’ – a style that had not yet been released.

Just a few months later, the princess was pictured carrying the bag as she stepped off a plane in Buenos Aires – but this would not be the only time she was seen with the ’Chouchou’. In fact, she became somewhat attached to the style, carrying it with her time and time again. When Diana decided that she would also love to have the bag in navy, to match her eye colour, the house officially renamed the bag the ’Lady Dior’, a playful nod to the handbag’s most famous fan, Lady Diana Spencer.

Over the years, the legendary bag has blossomed, released in a multitude of colours, sizes and materials, being reinvented season after season.

The re-edition of the mini blue satin Lady Dior, which was carried by Diana for that iconic red-carpet moment, nods so beautifully to the bag’s origin and will no doubt go straight to the top of every fashion editor’s wish list.

AE News