1946–1947
The house and the New Look
Backed by Marcel Boussac, Dior established his house at 30 Avenue Montaigne. The first collection’s defined waists and full skirts offered a dramatic change from wartime austerity.
The House & Its Designers
Dior
Paris · 1946
Couture structure, translated into a language of bags.
Christian Dior’s first collection in 1947 reshaped postwar fashion. The house’s accessories draw on the same attention to structure, proportion and decorative detail—from cannage stitching to a carefully shaped handle.
9 photographs · Reviewed August 2026
Explore the history ↓
01 / The house
The story behind the name.
1957–1989
A succession of couturiers
After Dior’s death, Yves Saint Laurent presented a new direction for the house. Marc Bohan’s long tenure followed, before Gianfranco Ferré took over in 1989.
1990s–2000s
The handbag becomes central
The Lady Dior’s association with Diana, Princess of Wales, helped establish it internationally. John Galliano’s Saddle introduced a very different, asymmetric silhouette.
2012–2025
New readings of the archive
Raf Simons emphasised architecture and cut. Maria Grazia Chiuri, appointed in 2016, introduced the Book Tote and revisited the Saddle before departing in 2025.
2025
Jonathan Anderson arrives
Anderson took responsibility for Dior’s women’s, men’s and couture collections. His first menswear show appeared in June 2025.
The house in pictures
People, places and objects, with source credits.
02 / The designers
The people who shaped the house.
Selected creative chapters; dates distinguish appointments from runway debuts.
1946–1957
Christian Dior
Established the house and the silhouettes of the New Look.
1957–1960
Yves Saint Laurent
Opened the house’s first chapter after its founder.
1960–1989
Marc Bohan
Developed a long period of refined, wearable couture.
1989–1996
Gianfranco Ferré
Brought an architectural approach to the Dior silhouette.
1996–2011
John Galliano
Combined theatrical storytelling with couture technique; his tenure ended after an antisemitic outburst.
2012–2015
Raf Simons
Reconsidered the archive through clean lines and construction.
2016–2025
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Linked the collections to women artists and feminist themes.
Appointed 2025
Jonathan Anderson
Brought the women’s, men’s and couture collections under one creative direction.
03 / The bags
A vocabulary in leather and form.
A selection of the house’s designs. Resale photographs illustrate individual examples; size, finish and condition vary.
- Lady Dior
- A structured top-handle bag with Cannage quilting and dangling D-I-O-R charms.
- Saddle
- An asymmetric bag whose curved outline and hanging D recall equestrian equipment.
- Book Tote
- A rectangular open tote that provides a canvas for embroidery, prints and woven motifs.
- Bobby
- A rounded flap shoulder bag with CD hardware.
- Caro
- A chain-strap bag with Cannage quilting, named in tribute to Catherine Dior.
- 30 Montaigne
- A structured flap bag named for the house’s Paris address.
- Diorama
- A flap shoulder bag with graphic surface patterning and a chain strap.
- Be Dior
- A softly structured top-handle bag with a flap and letter charms.
- Diorever
- A structured tote with a folding flap and prominent clasp.
- Miss Dior
- A handbag name used across several Dior designs; the details vary by collection.
- Diorcamp
- A messenger-style bag with a broad strap and practical clasp closures.
- Lady D-Lite
- An embroidered textile interpretation of the Lady Dior silhouette.
- Lady 95.22
- A curved top-handle design that reworks the Lady Dior’s quilting and charms.
- Toujours
- A roomy, supple tote with quilting and an adjustable opening.
- Diorissimo
- A structured leather tote with rounded handles and Dior letter charms.