HARDWARE & HANDLES
The charms on the Lady Dior are generally either goldtone or silvertone metal. Some versions of the evening bag have crystal studded charms, and there are some limited versions of the bag with charms made out of other materials (bamboo or faux tortoise shell).
The charms on all sizes of the classic bag are all in capital letters, and the O is the prominent letter.
If the bag has leather-bound handles, these should not be stitched up the inside and outside, only the outside and the very bottom of the inside.
The shape at the base of the handles should be raised and semicircular or traingular, not flat.
The oval shaped metal rings where the handles attach to the bag on the classic Lady should be stamped "CD" on the outside of the bag.
On the inside of the bag, they should have what look like rivets either side of the handle. However, these should only be stamped into the metal. They should not be actual screws or rivets. There should be only one horizontal line going across each one of these "rivets" .
On one version (which comes in the classic medium size, as well as an East-West bag and a large shopper) the handles are leather, and they loop around where they are attached.
On this variation of the bag, there are no rivets and the metal loops directly around the metal ring that hold the straps to the bag.
The charms on the updated bag are lower case, except for the D, which is the prominent letter. The "i" is actually a "1" on this version.
LINING
The Lady is typically lined in signature jacquard.
This can include the CD logo pattern or the more traditional cannage quilted style.
Both versions of the cannage are woven with the logo woven into the fabric.
You should see the weave in the lining (it is a diagonal weave).
The lining should not be shiny.
The logo should not be raised (I have seen a copy which has the raised logo).
Typically, the lining is the same color as the leather, however the black classic Lady is usually lined in red (although there are some versions in which it is lined in black).
Fur or haircalf models are sometimes lined in plain faille.
Evening styles are sometimes lined in satin.
INTERIOR TAG
On current versions of the bag (and versions since 2005 or so), the tag is made of the same leather as the bag. It is rectangular tag that is slightly wider than it is tall, measuring approximately 1 inch wide.
The tag on these models is stitched all the way around. It is stitched across the top only to the lining of the bag, and it should be located (on medium and large sized bags) just under the interior zipper pocket, and on small sized bags, on the side pocket.
The tag should read "Christian Dior" and then "Paris" underneath. Then below that, it should say "Made in Italy."
The tag should lift up, and there should be a code that is a combination of letters and numbers on the reverse side.
On versions of the bags from the early 1990s to the present, the tag should be the same size and shape, located in the same place and stitched in the same way.
The tag should still be made of the same leather as the bag. The exception is some cannage quilted black fabric bags, which may have a red tag.
The front of the tag should say simply "Christian Dior" and "Paris." On the reverse side it will say "Made in Italy" and then the code with letters and numbers.
On versions of the bag prior to 1990 or so, the tag will not be stitched and on some early versions, there is no code on the reverse.
There are a very few versions of this bag where the tag says "Made in Spain" but these are rare, so proceed with caution.
Dior bags have not been made in France since before 1990.
