Over a career spanning more than six decades, American artist Dorothy Iannone has made a name for herself with her autobiographical drawings, paintings and sculptures that typically showcase colourful expressions of female sexuality. For Dior Lady Art, she’s reinterpreted the Statue of Liberty into an exuberant trio of figurines – each wearing a different outfit – and set it against a patchwork of stars and stripes on the M-sized tote, and all-over sequins, beads and embroidery on the black patent mini version.

People and their everyday moments lie at the heart of rising art star Alex Gardner’s practice, but – get this – they’re often faceless. The American has often talked about wanting his anonymous figures to be relatable and universal, explaining his omission of facial expressions and focus instead on small, tender details such as gestures of the hand or feet. His Lady Dior draws from one of his paintings that depict the moment a palm touches a piece of fabric with holographic leather and figurative stitching lending a three-dimensional look and feel. Adding intrigue is an unexpected flame-red interior – what Christian Dior used to call “the colour of life”.

You’ll know a Shara Hughes painting when you see one. The Atlanta-born artist subverts traditional landscape paintings with ultra-vibrant colours and surreal patterns to create a sense of the uncanny. Clock her two Lady Diors that act as both canvas and frame for her imagined scenescapes – one in lush red velvet and the other embroidered with 1,000 muslin flowers.

Fans of Surrealist works will take to American painter Brian Calvin’s renditions of the Lady Dior: A mini and medium model in raffia featuring his signature abstract close-ups of women’s faces. Ornate beading and sequinned embroidery add both tactility and collectability, while a pink cotton interior ups the delight.

Ghada Amer is the first Egyptian artist to participate in the Dior Lady Art project, and she’s an apt choice. The famously feminist artist is beloved for her colourful embroidered canvasses that make it a point to celebrate female sexuality, and she’s translated that vision onto two bags. Both feature a kaleidoscopic patchwork of embroidery, precious stones and sequins with words of encouragement such as “strong”, “resilient”, and “loving”. Look out for the smaller model in particular, which sports a singular change to the Dior charm that accompanies each Lady Dior: Instead of the brand’s name, it reads Ghada.

This article first appeared in the Dec 2022 Love Edition of FEMALE