Loving roses at Dior has been a longstanding tradition. It started with Mr Dior's parents buying a pink-walled family house in Grandville, Normandy in 1905, the year their son Christian was born. The house, perched at the top of a windy cliff, was called Les Rhumbs, a marine term for a wind rose as seen in a mosaic in the house’s entrance. Dior’s mother slowly transformed the surrounding land into a magnificent rose garden and so this beautiful flower surrounded Dior's childhood. The rose became a source of constant inspiration for the fashion designer, transforming into an evocative symbol of the couture house.
Roses bloomed in the jewellery department of the French maison for more than 20 years and in 2000 Victoire de Castellane, the creative Director of Dior Joaillerie, began a new flower story of her own. The first collection was called Rose Dior Bagatelle and new chapters were regularly added throughout the years with alluring names such as Rose Dior Pré Catelan or Bois de Rose, all of them celebrating the talismanic flower.
In June 2021, the maison presented Dior Rose, the largest high jewellery collection ever launched at Dior with one hundred and sixteen romantic, futuristic and abstract jewels.
And 2022 starts well for the queen of flowers as another perfect new born joins the family. Rose Dior Couture composed of nine delicate and lively jewels from necklaces to stud earrings and rings, reflects the playful, unpretentious, and avant-garde style that has defined Ms Castellane’s creations. What catches the attention is the freshness of the burgeoning bud captured in the soft and silky gold. The intricate and perfectly formed petals protect the sparkling diamond hiding at its center. Some buds are adorned with more diamonds while others are bare, revealing the perfection of their design. The new collection is easy to wear and will appeal to women looking for audacity, delicacy, and a dreamy escape.
While the newborn is attracting most of the attention, two of the previous chapters are also evolving. Rose Dior Bagatelle, the first collection, reveals new creations from single earrings stretching up along the ear to an impressive textured necklace with an organic interlaced clasp and Bois de Rose, launched in 2010, presents a new bangle chiselled in white, pink or yellow gold.
Season after season, Victoire de Castellane challenges herself to reconnect with the freedom and spontaneity that has inhabited her dreams and Mr Dior’s childhood fascination with this beloved flower. Ms de Castellane continues creating roses that bring joy and pleasure to to admirers of the rose and Dior’s unique take on this classic jewellery motif.
