Precious pieces

To mark the unveiling of the Dior les Jardins de la Couture high jewellery collection, the house organized an exceptional event on june 3^rd, 2023, in the heart of villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como. A poetic gala, an ode to couture and the nature Dior cherishes.

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“The Big Ship” by Brian Eno (Brian Peter George Eno), Universal Music Publishing (P), 1975, Virgin Records Limited, Courtesy of Universal Music Group & Universal Music Publishing

One might envision Christian Dior leaning slightly over the balustrade of Villa Erba¹ to contemplate the ballroom or, further in the distance, the deep waters of Lake Como, barely concealed by lush Italian vegetation... The very name of this high jewellery line, Les Jardins de la Couture, would have delighted the founding couturier, who lived for gardens – odes to his unconditional love of nature – and for couture, its excellence and elegance forever blending the two and honouring them through his inspirations. Femmes-fleurs from the New Look in 1947, corolla skirts, flourishing trims and bucolic prints offer timeless compositions that Victoire de Castellane, Artistic Director of Dior Joaillerie, celebrated in creations like Rose Dior and Dior Rose, as well as Galons Dior and Dior Print.

It’s an imagined conversation, a poetic dialogue, a new page in the history of Dior high jewellery that these Jardins de la Couture perpetuate. This marvellous new chapter by Victoire de Castellane is recounted through no fewer than 170 exclusive pieces, including three secret watches. The richest, most abundant collection the Artistic Director has ever designed, divided into four stories. The first opus in this virtuoso quartet is Galons Fleuris, whose floral motifs on necklaces, earrings and bracelets evoke precious ribbons. Très Cher Dior features glittering jewels set in relief. The aptly named Buissons Couture is studded with flowers, set gemstone by gemstone. Lastly, Mini-Milly revisits Christian Dior’s garden at Milly-la-Forêt as seen through the eyes of a child, unveiling a Technicolor frieze in tones enhanced with lacquer and sparkling finishes. What other sumptuous Eden than this nineteenth-century villa, where the brilliant Italian director Luchino Visconti spent his summers², could reveal these unique pieces in all their splendour? At nightfall, the façade illuminated as if by magic, and models magnified by jewels descended the majestic staircase into the garden overlooking the lake’s waters.

1. A monastery prior to its purchase by the Visconti family.

2. The filmmaker retired here in 1972 after completing his masterpiece Ludwig (The Mad King of Bavaria).

For the occasion, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior’s women’s collections, specially designed forty-one haute couture silhouettes, from gowns with countless delicately embroidered flowers to ensembles of stunning purity that sublimated the shimmering stones. Les Jardins de la Couture took on their full meaning, expressing the prowess of the ateliers’ time-honoured gestures and innovative savoir-faire before the bedazzled eyes of guests, among them the newly minted Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, a friend of the House, as well as Dior ambassadors Rosamund Pike and Elizabeth Debicki. An enchanting spectacle, complete with a candlelit dinner beneath the frescoes of the villa’s salons. A tribute to la dolce vita and the quintessence of Dior elegance.

Precious pieces

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