Paris-Florence, A Quintessential Experience Of The Jewelry Arts

Bathed in the magical light of Tuscany, at the heart of the cloister of the basilica of Santa Maria Novella – a Gothic jewel and ultimate emblem of the Florentine Renaissance – Victoire de Castellane unveiled the first chapter of her new haute joaillerie collection named Diorama. The pinnacle of beauty and virtuosity, where the art and craftsmanship of Dior's savoir-faire are expressed in all their excellence.

Sublimated Toile De Jouy

For the first time, Victoire de Castellane revisits toile de Jouy, an iconic Dior code since 1947. Owls, deer and squirrels – sometimes tucked behind bushes – inhabit a fabulous forest where the figurative art of Dior jewelry unfolds in infinite detail and wonderfully vibrant tableaus, sketched with radiantly hued gemstones. As these sumptuous, exceptional pieces – necklaces, rings, earrings, earcuffs, belts and anklets – were unveiled in the heart of Florence and a spellbinding garden fragrant with roses and orange blossom, the paintings and frescoes of the Italian Renaissance masters could only but spring to mind, illuminated by the same chromatic tones and sublime adornments. A timeless enchantment. Watch the interview with Victoire de Castellane.

^{© Melinda Triana © Léa Daguin © Musée civici Fiorentini}

Couture Nature

“The value of jewelry lies in its color, it brightens the face.” This jewelry aesthetic, according to Monsieur Dior, is embodied more than ever in the Diorama line through a narrative nature, divinely multi-hued, weaving a scintillating tapestry of dreamy flora, where animals come to life as if by enchantment. A sparkling rabbit leaps into a bush paved with sparkling diamonds, two owls flutter amid branches adorned with flaming rubies, while majestic swans appear on a lake bordered by sapphires. This couture nature also features a fox, a squirrel and a deer, all sublimated by the intensity of chrysoprase. Completing this theater of the marvelous, golden foliage – yellow or rose – mingles with lush shrubbery and flowerbeds studded with jewels like so many delicate petals.

^{© Pierre Mouton}

Vibrant Tableaus

Following Taormina and Como, Florence, the splendid capital of European art, offered the ideal setting for the presentation Victoire de Castellane's new haute joaillerie creations named Diorama. A fantastical array further enriched by Maria Grazia Chiuri's Dior silhouettes, couture odes to a sparkling dolce vita. Little embroidered dresses, sumptuous moirés and deep-black velvet bustiers reveal even more of the vivid brilliance and infinitely precise, precious work of stone carving and gold smithery, each piece unveiling a luxuriant decor punctuated by deliciously poetic flora and fauna.

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Virtuoso Alliances

“Real jewelry is the highest point in luxury," wrote Christian Dior. The Diorama pieces thought up by Victoire de Castellane are the perfect embodiment of this excellence, surpassing the limits of savoir-faire. Maria Grazia Chiuri and the Dior ateliers have specially designed 25 haute couture silhouettes to further highlight this creative splendor: neo-Sixties Capri pants, irresistible Bar bustiers, precious woven jacquards, moiré failles of exceptional craftsmanship, skirts and pants in shimmering colors that superbly match those of the stones... A marvelous couture-jewelry dialogue translating – with a toile de Jouy depicting the emblematic monuments of the two capitals of art – this imaginary journey from Paris to Florence, a symbiosis of arts and dreams.

In The Little Dictionary of Fashion.