Dior unveils its new Diorexquis high jewellery collection with a glittering soirée in the hills above the Côte d’Azur.
It was a balmy May evening at Château de La Colle Noire—situated on a hilltop just outside Montauroux, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur—where Dior chose to unveil its latest high jewellery collection. Purchased by Christian Dior in 1950 as a summer escape, the breathtaking 500,000 m2 estate is filled with fragrant roses, almond trees, jasmine and lily-of-the-valley, making it the perfect setting to unveil the new Diorexquis high jewellery collection—which is themed around enchanting landscapes and dreamlike galas.
Following a magical al fresco dinner in the garden, guests were seated around the 45-m-long pool—designed by Monsieur Dior himself—whose edges were transformed into a catwalk to exhibit the one-off pieces. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets, belts and hair clips twinkled under the starry night sky and were reflected in the pool’s dark water —beautifully matched with floral and brocade dresses created by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s erstwhile artistic director, especially for the Diorexquis launch.
On show was precisely what Victoire de Castellane, Dior’s artistic director of jewellery, does best: a signature layering of stones—think shimmering, mesmerising opals mounted with mother-of-pearl—which creates a maximalist look that plays with light reflection in suites of statement-making necklaces, earrings and ring sets.
And then there’s de Castellane’s use of lacquer—found in the likes of a sublime ear cuff that exudes a stained-glass appearance, topped with a smattering of tiny diamonds, blue and yellow sapphires, tsavorite garnets and emeralds. The night culminated in a spectacular fireworks display, and coupled with the transcendent jewels showcased Dior haute joaillerie at its finest.
