Dior Book Tote Medium

A sketch from 1967

When Maria Grazia Chiuri went looking for a new bag in Dior's archives, she found a drawing made in 1967 by Marc Bohan, then the house's creative director. She built the Book Tote on it and introduced it in the Spring-Summer 2018 collection. The shape could hardly be simpler: a square, boxy tote with a wide, completely open top and two curved top handles.

The name is a statement. Chiuri's work at Dior often drew on feminism, and her office was reportedly lined with books on philosophy, literature and art. Dior later ran a 'Dior Book Tote Club' video campaign in which Rosamund Pike, Beatrice Borromeo and Nine d'Urso talked about the books they would carry in theirs.

The bag took off quickly. The original Large was the first size; the Medium, Small and Mini followed as demand grew, and Dior has since released the bag in a new print, embroidery or material nearly every season.

Bohan, Chiuri and the Oblique

Marc Bohan, born in Paris in 1926, designed Dior's London line from 1958 to 1960. In September 1960, when Yves Saint Laurent was called up for military service, Bohan was promoted to replace him, and he led the house's design for decades; Wikipedia gives his tenure as creative director as 1960 to 1989. He died on September 6, 2023, at 97. The Dior Oblique logotype that covers this entry also dates to the 1960s and is credited to Bohan.

Maria Grazia Chiuri, born in Rome in 1964, spent years at Fendi, where she helped develop the Baguette, and at Valentino, where she ran accessories before becoming co-creative director. Dior named her artistic director of its women's collections in 2016, the first woman to lead the house's women's design since its founding. She left in 2025 after nine years.

Her successor, Jonathan Anderson, made the Book Tote one of his first statements, showing versions dressed as classic novels such as Dracula, Dangerous Liaisons and In Cold Blood.

How it is made, and how to read one

Dior describes the Book Tote as made with an exclusive technique of three-dimensional embroidery. Sewing machines reproduce the Dior Oblique pattern under the eye of the house's petites mains, and an artisan then assembles the pieces: first the two handles onto the front and back panels, then the sides and center. A small golden seal is affixed at the end. The original Oblique version takes about 37 hours of work and more than 1,500,000 stitches; one dealer puts some versions at up to 40 hours.

The front carries an oversized 'Christian Dior' signature on a central panel. On the back the panel is blank or, when bought in a Dior boutique, can be personalized with the owner's name. The classic open tote has no pockets and no lining, which keeps attention on the embroidery; newer versions with a strap add an interior zip pocket and slip pockets.

The Medium measures 36 x 27.5 x 16.5 cm, about 14 x 11 x 5.5 inches, and Dior says it holds a laptop. The pre-owned grey and ecru Medium tracked here was made in 2021 in Italy, with a canvas interior, an open top and a 6.5-inch handle drop. Its seller noted discoloration on the handles and glue transfer at the corners, the wear points buyers check on a tote with no lining.

A canvas for every season

Few Dior bags have been reissued in as many guises. For Fall-Winter 2018 there was a butterfly embroidery inspired by stained glass. A Zodiac version used an embroidered pattern by the artist Pietro Ruffo, who also drew the Mille Fleurs design for Cruise 2021, inspired by the southern Italian region of Apulia. Spring 2021 brought a Tarot version, and Fall 2021 a leopard print named for Christian Dior's muse Mizza Bricard.

There have been Toile de Jouy, camouflage with hand fringing, houndstooth, raffia, lace and smooth leather versions. A Mini with flat cutout handles measures 22.5 cm across, and for Cruise 2024 Dior added a second Mini with a shoulder strap. The current line on Dior's US site is built largely around the Book Tote with Strap in Mini, Small and Medium.

The grey and ecru Oblique sits at the quiet end of that range: the same tonal logo pattern as the original blue, in a neutral palette.

Retail and resale

In July 2022 Dior's US prices for the blue Oblique embroidered Book Tote were $2,550 for the Mini, $3,250 for the Small, $3,350 for the Medium and $3,500 for the Large. In October 2026 Dior's US site lists the Medium Book Tote with Strap from $3,800 to $4,400, and a Medium in gray Oblique embroidery with calfskin at $4,000.

On the secondary market, a pre-owned 2021 grey and ecru Medium in very good condition was offered at $1,850 in October 2026, with its seller citing an original retail price of $3,350. That is an asking price, not a sale.

The numbers

Dimensions

36 x 27.5 x 16.5 cm (14 x 11 x 5.5 in); handle drop about 6.5 in

Material

Embroidered cotton canvas in grey and ecru Dior Oblique; unlined in the classic open version

Hardware

None beyond a small golden seal; no closure (open top)

Other sizes

Large 42 x 35 x 18.5 cm; Small 26.5 x 21 x 14 cm; Mini 22.5 x 15 x 6 cm

Labor

About 37 hours and more than 1,500,000 stitches for the original Oblique version

Made in

Italy

Production quantity

Not published

Timeline

1. 1958

   Marc Bohan begins designing Dior's London line.

2. Sep 1960

   Bohan replaces Yves Saint Laurent at the head of Dior's design.

3. 1967

   Bohan draws the sketch that will inspire the Book Tote.

4. 2016

   Maria Grazia Chiuri becomes artistic director of Dior's women's collections.

5. 2018

   The Book Tote is introduced in the Spring-Summer 2018 collection, in the Large size.

6. 2018

   A butterfly-embroidered Book Tote appears for Fall-Winter 2018.

7. 2021

   Tarot (Spring), Mille Fleurs (Cruise) and Mizza leopard (Fall) versions are released.

8. 2021

   The grey and ecru Oblique Medium tracked here is made in Italy.

9. Jul 2022

   Dior's US price for the Medium in Oblique embroidery is $3,350.

10. Sep 6, 2023

    Marc Bohan dies at 97.

11. 2025

    Chiuri leaves Dior; Jonathan Anderson reworks the Book Tote as classic novels.

12. Oct 1, 2026

    Dior's US site lists the Medium Book Tote with Strap from $3,800; a pre-owned 2021 grey and ecru Medium is offered at $1,850.

The world in 2018

• Feb 9, 2018

  The Winter Olympics open in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

• May 19, 2018

  Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle at Windsor before an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.

• Jul 10, 2018

  Twelve boys and their soccer coach are rescued from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand.

• Jul 15, 2018

  France beats Croatia 4-2 to win the World Cup in Russia.

• Jun 13, 2018

  FIFA awards the 2026 World Cup to Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Dior Book Tote Medium is number 80 of 100 in the handbags entries of the FLOAT 100. 19 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (55 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The Book Tote is built almost entirely out of embroidery rather than embroidered onto a finished bag.
• The design comes from a 1967 sketch by Marc Bohan, who took over Dior when Yves Saint Laurent was called up for military service.
• The back panel can be personalized with the owner's name when bought in a Dior boutique.
• The classic Book Tote has no pockets and no lining.
• Jonathan Anderson's early Dior Book Totes were dressed as novels, including Dracula and In Cold Blood.
• The Large size came first; the smaller sizes followed because buyers wanted something less cumbersome.