Keke Palmer Test-Drives the East-West Bag Trend With Dior's New Take on Princess Diana's Favorite Purse

Keke Palmer attending a press tour in a fur coat and lady bag — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Keke Palmer has always been a modern-day people's princess in my eyes, but her latest look makes the case for her coronation even more compelling. On Jan. 15, the star stopped by Good Morning America to promote her latest movie: One of Them Days, a buddy comedy also starring SZA in the singer's acting debut. Naturally, she looked stunning in her ladylike press tour outfit.

The mother of one matched her wavy honey-caramel highlights to a metallic bronze vintage Dolce & Gabbana sheath dress cinched with a wide zippered belt. To stay cozy despite New York City's wintery chill, the podcast host topped her knee-length frock with a plush baby pink teddy coat from Stella McCartney and wine-red Saint Laurent pumps.

A photo of Keke Palmer arriving at ABC Studios wearing a belted bronze sheath dress topped with a light pink teddy coat and a white Dior top-handle bag. — Keke Palmer arrives at ABC Studios wearing a belted bronze sheath dress topped with a light pink teddy coat and a white Dior top-handle bag.

Stella McCartney Oversized Plush Teddy Long Coat

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That said, nothing could tear my gaze away from her white Dior Lady D-Joy bag, a new take on the brand's quilted top-handle style. With a shape that taps into 2024's east-west bag trend, the Lady D-Joy marks a horizontal reinterpretation of Princess Diana's namesake bag: the Lady Dior.

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When the Lady Dior bag made its royal debut in 1995, it was actually named "Chouchou." (That's French for favorite.) Princess Diana carried the quilted style so often before her death in 1997 that it was rechristened in her honor.

Although it's been around for decades, the Lady Dior remains a popular choice for royals and celebrities alike. Jennifer Lopez carried the iconic purse in matte black at a Nov. 6 photo call for Unstoppable. Meghan Markle, meanwhile, toted a miniature version of the bag known as the Lady D-Lite to lunch with a friend in July.

A closeup of Keke Palmer embracing the east-west bag trend with a quilted white Dior Lady D-Joy bag, a reimagining of the brand's classic Lady Dior style.

Keke Palmer embraces the east-west bag trend with a quilted white Dior Lady D-Joy bag, a reimagining of the brand's classic Lady Dior style.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Dior Medium Lady D-Joy Bag

Palmer finished the look with a shimmering ruby red manicure, sculptural gold earrings, two diamond cocktail rings, and a glossy nude lip. It's a much more feminine look than we're used to seeing from the Nope actor, but it makes perfect sense for her to adopt a more glamorous image amid her rise as a bona fide multimedia mogul. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to whatever she does—or wears—next.

Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.