18,000 stitches are required to create this iconic Dior bag

There are many iconic Dior bags, from Princess Diana's Lady Di bag to the Dior saddle bag Carrie Bradshaw loved so much she had it in several colourways and prints.

But if you're looking for that truly timeless investment piece, it has to be the Dior Caro bag, thanks to its quilted body and elegant hardware.

In fact, the quilting is so meticulous that it requires no less than 18,000 stitches to reproduce the subtle geometric weave known as 'cannage'.

The bag is made in the House’s ateliers in Italy, and after its pieces are precisely cut from calf leather, the essential quilting stage starts.

Then, a delicate 'Christian Dior' gold seal is affixed before the bag, which is mounted inside-out, is at last turned right-side out. Finally, metal accessories adorned with the precious 'CD' signature are affixed, from the chain links to the clasp.

The Caro comes in two sizes and several timeless shades including black, beige and ivory, though for a fun fashion-forward twist you can also buy it in red, mint green, sky blue or compass rose.

The small version is also available in three exclusive variations enhanced with shearling and raw denim, or punctuated with the hypnotic Tie & Dior as seen in the 2021 cruise show.

A new icon.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.