An enchanting panoply of flora and fauna are what define Dior’s newest high jewellery collection dreamed up by artistic director of Dior joaillerie Victoire de Castellane. Calling the collection Diorama & Diorigami, the Diorama release marks the inaugural chapter of the line, and focuses on reproducing the house’s emblematic toile de Jouy which has been an enduring Dior code since 1947. That fantastical motif, as both an “expression of French art de vivre and a symbol of the 18th century”, played a key role in Monsieur Dior’s radical success. When he opened his very first boutique, Colifichets, he dressed the whole thing in that ornamental fabric, from the walls to the counters, canopy and furnishings.
Here, crafted in the atelier using ancestral techniques like glyptics, engraving or stone sculpting, the objets d’art come to life like miniature frescoes. The fruit of this exceptional savoir-faire, owls, deer, squirrels, foxes, bunnies and birds are curled up in deep green emerald bushes or climbing trees, inhabiting an imaginary Eden illustrated by vibrant gemstones. Wonderfully vivid parures feature a golden rabbit leaping into shrubbery paved with diamonds or birds collecting branches adorned with rubies; swans skim the water of a sapphire pond while chrysoprase creatures find a moment of sleep amidst the precious foliage. Some jewels resemble flower petals while bushes twinkle in yellow and rose gold, enhancing this sumptuous selection and adding something truly special to the fleeting tableaus. The final pieces herald the second chapter of de Castellane’s creations – Diorigami – as a necklace, a ring and a set of earrings that mimic flourishes of greenery. Encapsulating rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and brooches, Diorama invites you to join the house “on a gentle stroll through the garden of Milly-la-Forêt” – a serene commune located in the north of France.
To celebrate the launch, Dior hosted a opulent evening at the basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence last week. The event, along with the reveal of the jewellery, certified de Castellane’s Diorama collection as a veritable ode to the magic of Mother Nature so dear to the house’s beloved founder.
Photography courtesy of Dior.
