Happy The Crown Day to all who celebrate! The latest season of the decades-spanning drama about British monarchy brings the family into the ‘90s, the first four episodes surrounding the events leading up to Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
For the later seasons, Diana has been portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, taking over for the series’s original Lady Di, Emma Corrin. With both actors’ top-notch performances, there has been a renewed interest in the late Princess of Wales—including her impeccable personal style.
While Princess Diana is most often associated with her famous “revenge dress,” or her athleisure, she also had quite the impressive handbag collection. She was such an arbiter of taste, in fact, that several of the bags she toted now bear her name. While the Ferragamo Diana clutch was made for her, some houses changed the names of existing purses in her honor. For instance, the Dior Chouchou was renamed to the Lady after Diana began wearing it in 1995.
Below, take a look at some of the iconic handbags that Princess Diana made famous.
Diana bought this brown Gucci tote with it’s signature bamboo top handle in 1991. Whether she wore it to the gym or on outings, it became a staple in her wardrobe, and immediately caught fire. The bag was officially christened the Gucci Diana in 2021 after then-creative director Alessandro Michele reissued the bag.
Lady Di was gifted the unreleased Dior Chouchou bag by France’s First Lady in 1995. True to the name’s translation, the bag became Diana’s favorite. It became such a fixture in her wardrobe that the label renamed the purse the Dior Lady after their fondest patron in 1996.
Salvatore Ferragamo created a custom bag for Diana in 1990. (The designer also made the Vera bow clutch, which she paired with her famous “revenge dress.”) The long bag, complete with the staple Ferragamo hardware, was so beloved by Diana that she ordered it in several colors.
Another fond piece in Diana’s collection was the Tod’s Di Bag. Originally called the D Bag, and named for the royal, it was made in 1997. In 2013, the brand reissued the bag under the name “Di,” and today it’s available in a variety of colors and sizes.
https://www.vogue.com/article/princess-diana-famous-handbags