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from MARCH-APRIL 2023 FASHION ISSUE

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BY ADRIENNE FAUROTE

This page and opposite: Dior Lady 95.22 bag, price upon request; available at select Dior boutiques nationwide and 1-800-929-3467

Dior Lady 95.22 bag, price upon request; available at select Dior boutiques nationwide and 1-800-929-3467

Symbolic of time, the Lady 95.22 handbag’s name combines the year of its birth (1995) with the year it was created (2022), ultimately becoming a modern iteration of the handbag that has withstood fashion’s test of time. Originally getting its name from the late Princess Diana, the Lady Dior handbag has transcended being just a handbag and has become a design phenomenon. While Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s reinterpretation of the bag takes on a new, elongated silhouette, it remains timeless. Ahead, Haute Living gives an exclusive look into the incredibly rare and exceptional savoir faire behind the new Lady 95.22 bag.

From conception to design execution, the handbag is crafted with the utmost attention to detail at the Dior ateliers. At first glance, one instantly recognizes the signature “Cannage” quilting pattern — perhaps the most notable design motif — on a macro scale. Achieved through an innovative high-frequency embossing technique in which meticulously sourced leather is cut by hand before wave energy is used to fabricate the perfect volume, the Macrocannage pattern instantly modernizes the style.

Perfected at the maison’s ateliers, the traditional technique of “piqué retourné,” or inside-out stitching mounting, is used in order to assemble the bag. This process requires unparalleled craftsmanship, extreme attention to detail, and patience. In fact, the bag itself takes three times longer to craft than the former Lady Dior, requiring intricacies that can only be mastered by hand due to the complexity of both the assembly of the Lady 95.22 as well as its new, distinct design details.