Three rings and three necklaces in yellow, rose and white gold compose this Tête de Mort jewelry collection which revisits the phrases “Memento Mori” and “Carpe Diem”. Alluding to the fact that we must take advantage of every moment life offers, these two precepts have been interpreted through stones carefully selected for their pastel and profound hues. Discreetly scattered like clues across these creations, certain details serve to echo these Latin terms. Clover represented with tsavorite garnets, meticulously engraved hearts, or a crown of lily-of-the-valley in white gold and diamonds, evoke the notion of fate and the charms that Christian Dior so prized. All of these motifs were meticulously made by the expert hands of a craftsman in a French jewelry atelier. With the help of his trusty tools, he worked with careful precision to produce a precious story that rewards closer inspection.  

“It had to be here,” Christian Dior wrote in his memoirs of 30 Avenue Montaigne, the hôtel particulier that would prove the location of his future couture house. Trianon gray walls, Louis XVI bows and medallions, Napoléon III chairs with cannage, all would become signatures. The refined elegance of this decor continues to inspire the Creative Directors of the House who, within its ateliers and design studios, are endlessly reinventing the founding couturier’s legacy. Pushing open the door of 30 Avenue Montaigne and climbing the steps once ascended by Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker is one of the unique experiences offered by Les Journées Particulières. A rare privilege, one usually only reserved for haute couture clients.

In this magical setting which, in 1947, bore witness to a revolution with a style that would become world-famous – the manifesto collection that was the New Look – and a custom scenography by Nathalie Crinière, the haute couture dresses and creations by the Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri are unveiled down the legendary staircase.

And revealed for eager visitors by the artisans themselves, the grands salons hold precious secrets of manufacturing. From the featherworkers to the leather craftspeople, from the Atelier Tailleur where the petites mains are focused on assembling a Bar jacket – that icon of Dior icons –  to the Atelier Flou, all share their knowledge.

For this 4th edition, and for the first time, Dior, the only haute couture house with its own hat-making atelier, presents this art inherited from Monsieur Dior who started out as a milliner. As the common thread running through the visit, savoir-faire is as evident in the fairylike dresses created for Baby Dior as in the infinite meticulousness of the high jewellery.

The quintessence of this gesture is to be found in miniatures conceived according to the principles of haute couture, exquisite reproductions of designs by John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

One floor down, the magic continues with fragrances. From the 3D model of La Colle Noire, Christian Dior’s beloved estate in the south of France, to the precious raw materials of the twenty-two scents in the Maison Christian Dior collection, which represents a veritable distillation of emotions, the eye is captivated by the expert hands that seal the J’adore bottles and, through the delicacy of an embroidered bow, imbue the couture spirit of Miss Dior.

This highly special visit behind the scenes and into the secrets of savoir-faire excellence draws to a close with the perfume organ and its exceptional bottles.