Brightest SPARKS

Fashion brands excel in the hallowed world of Haute Joaillerie.

- TAN SIOK HOON

LES JARDINS DE LA COUTURE BY DIOR

We all know how much Christian Dior adored his flowers and gardens, from the roses of Granville to the alluring femmes-fleurs of the New Look. Artistic director Victoire de Castellane revives the theme of the gardens for Dior Joaillerie’s latest High Jewellery collection, Les Jardins de la Couture. Bringing the Maison full circle to its beating heart, she refreshes its High Jewellery oeuvre, inspired by the nature and its bounty that so enthralled Monsieur Dior, with a tour de force of 170 exceptional pieces, including three secret watches. The collection is conjured in four fascinating stories: Galons Fleuris, displaying bucolic motifs that evoke precious ribbons; Très Cher Dior, showcasing relief-set jewels in valiant volume settings; Buissons Couture, paying tribute with creations studded with flowers of gemstones; and Mini Milly, revisiting Christian Dior’s garden at Milly-la-Forêt with a stunning splash of hues.

To portray de Castellane’s vision of converging nature with couture, tradition with innovative savoir-faire, an odyssey of coloured stones, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, gold and sequins along with lacquer techniques, were incorporated using an interplay of scale and perspective, asymmetry and disordered balance. This manifestation of a bejewelled botanical paradise was unveiled at Villa Erba on Lake Como, alongside Haute Couture silhouettes by Dior fashion’s creative lead, Maria Grazia Chiuri, in a spectacular meeting of Dior universes.