Not surprisingly, aside from Christian Dior’s beloved garden and roses, the world of haute couture has always been a source of inspiration for Victoire de Castellan. In 2014, the artistic director of Dior Jewelry featured pleats in her classic and twisted Archi Dior collection, ribbons and silks a year later in Soie Dior, and lace in 2018’s ultra-feminine Dior Dior Dior muse. Surprisingly, however, de Castellan has now once again brilliantly revisited all those elements of haute couture, with her latest Galons Dior high jewellery collection marking the culmination of her 23-year helm at the helm.
Comprising 81 pieces, Galons, as its name suggests, is a celebration of the craft of weaving, the finishing touch to many dreamy garments. “The patterns, borders and links in my previous fine jewelry pieces remind me of the weaving process in haute couture,” says de Castellan. “In haute couture, a braid is a thick piece of cloth with a repeating pattern. It is used to adorn clothes to add a smart and sophisticated effect. I wanted to pay homage to braids in this collection, intensifying and transforming them into Precious jewels.”
This intention is embodied in the Multi Galons collection, which begins with a standout of 10 necklaces, each set with a different cut and pattern, in four metals – gold, pink, white gold and platinum – bringing More luxury and contrast. A string of soft petals made from pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds complement the herringbone pattern of baguette-cut diamonds. Additional layers come from angled, staggered chains of fancy-cut diamonds in a variety of round, square and princess shapes. More graphic interpretation is provided by a matching bracelet in a criss-cross pattern, here in three different golds, in which the same jewelry thread wraps a classic oval-cut diamond. If de Castellan’s previous collections used haute couture details as a touchpoint, Gallons conflated an entire universe with luxurious decorative details.
Victoire de Castellane’s mastery of asymmetry unifies Galons Dior’s collections.
In other pieces, the subject of braids feels more singular, but equally sensual. A zig-zag sapphire pendant is eye-catching with two lines – a chevron pattern of brilliant-cut diamonds and a striking orbital line with fringe edges reminiscent of a grosgrain ribbon –The two lines are set with a sapphire in the blue lacquer for added color saturation. The same orbital setting makes it a chic hair accessory that loops over a fancy-cut diamond ribbon.
