Dior Dior Dior: Christian Dior Lace becomes high jewellery
From 6th to 8th July 2018, at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Dior jewellery house presented an extensive exhibition that sought to combine Christian Dior’s three favourite themes: fashion, balls and gardens. Among 220 pieces of jewellery, visitors could see celebrated creations from years gone by, as well as treasures from the new ‘Dior Dior Dior’ collection. Victoire de Castellane, the artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, continues to create a jewelled story through her work that tells about the maison’s history, and the passionate love that its founder had for the world of high fashion.
My task was to capture a sense of the ethereal lightness – the true superiority – of lace, which, like ribbons, silk or drapery, is essential to the vocabulary of Dior, Victoire de Castellane explains.
Dior ‘Dentelle Guipure Diamant Jaune’ necklace in yellow and pink gold, diamonds and yellow diamond from the Dior Dior Dior collection
There are many openwork jewellery pieces within the collection – each carefully ‘woven’ from yellow, pink and white gold. The finest threads of precious metal have been turned into a single canvas, illuminated by the bright colour and light of the feature gemstones.
Any visitor to this exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art cannot help but notice that a riot of colours often dominates the design of Dior’s jewels. The ‘Dior Dior Dior’ palette also consists of a vast array of precious stones: emeralds, blue and pink sapphires, spessartite garnets, multi-coloured spinels and diamonds – each working to enhance the luxurious look of the pieces.
Dior ‘Dentelle Guipure Spinelle Jaune’ necklace in white gold, yellow diamond and diamonds
Having examined several dozen of jewels, I have come to the conclusion that this collection of high art jewellery is one of the trendiest of this Paris Haute Couture week. It includes such pieces as two-finger rings, a number of variants on the choker, as well as a palm bracelet that is joined to a ring, and asymmetrical earrings that have already become Castellane’s signature.
What else is unique about this collection? If you read my article about jewellery with fancy cut diamonds that were on display during the Couture Week, you will most likely recall the Dior ring with a large diamond that has been cut in the form of a kite. In addition to this fancy form, Victoire de Castellane has used diamond disks drilled through the centre, which sparkle on the chokers and are reminiscent of the sequins that adorn Christian Dior’s classic dresses.
Dior ‘Dentelle Satin Rubis’ bracelet in pink gold, diamonds and rubies
The unique ways of wearing jewellery on display at the exhibition, the asymmetric design and – of course – the rare precious stones that tempt with their beauty and originality; all of these features serve as reminders that jewellery and high fashion are truly inseparable.
WORDS
Katerina Perez With more than 12 years’ experience in the jewellery sector, Katerina’s expert knowledge spans everything from retail sales and management to content creation, including brand building, jewellery writing and styling. Born and raised in St Petersburg, Katerina’s favourite hobby as a child was playing with the treasures in her grandmother's jewellery box, inspiring a lifelong love of jewellery from a very early age. She spent five years in St Petersburg University of Culture and Arts studying not journalism but business studies and languages, and her writing skills have developed as her passion for her favourite subject – jewellery – has grown. This is why her writing comes straight from the heart rather than the pages of a book. Daughter of an entrepreneur mother, Katerina exchanged her retail management job for jewellery writing in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since.
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