15 November 2012
“Real luxury requires real material and craftsman’s sincerity. Real luxury only exists when you respect tradition”
– Christian Dior
Tangs Orchard unveils a new Dior universe informed by the founding codes of the House of Dior – couture, tradition and transfigurative luxury.
This new generation boutique teleports consumers to a private Dior atelier from 1946, bringing together the savoir-faire of Dior’s fragrance artistry, the backstage makeup expertise of couture, and cutting-edge skincare.
Definitive of luxury shopping, this boutique presents consumers with
(1) olfactory odysseys to the very beginnings of couture fragrances with Dior La Collection Privée and a bespoke fragrance consultation journey
(2) up-to-the-minute makeup trends and techniques from the runway with trend-focussed backstage floating makeup boards
(3) skincare consultation with private recesses and plush sofas.
Inspired by the first Dior boutique at 30 Avenue Montaigne, the boutique showcases rich heritage objects from Dior, and bears the universal symbols and colours of the House – the CD initials that stand for Christian Dior and the figure ‘8’, a white, pearl grey and Trianon grey colour scheme that the couturier greatly favoured, and black panels with backstage studio lighting.
The new boutique showcases a fragrance wall with emblematic heritage objects from Dior.
THE MONTAIGNE AVENUE: Christian Dior officially set up his shop on the 15th of December 1946.
THE STAR: At nightfall on April 18, 1946, in front of the British Embassy in Paris, Christian Dior tripped on a star. He interpreted this chance occurrence as a sign of destiny, and decided to team up with textile magnate Marcel Boussac to create his own couture fashion house. The star has subsequently been engraved on the base of certain Christian Dior perfume bottles, thus becoming one of the founding elements of the brand.
GOLD: After the dark years of wartime recession, Dior offered women a return to the golden age of luxury and opulence. Gold played a key role in his new wonderland and was present from the moment of his first collections. It was not by chance that Jean Cocteau, speaking of the name Dior, said: “Dior, the agile genius of our times whose magical name contains Dieu (God) and Or (Gold)!”
THE LIPSTICK: Dior offered eight shades of lipstick in red in 1955. The obelisk of Diorama (the lipsticks) is inspired by that of the Place Concorde in Paris: a reference to the classic architectural tastes of Christian Dior and to the city of Paris, the heart of the Dior world.
THE SWAN: René Gruau drew his first advertising design for the first fragrance by the brand: Miss Dior (1947). René sparingly drew a swan, a fan and a gloved hand on sepia paper with black ink and white gouache... an evocation of luxury and refinement.
THE FAN: Christian Dior often used fans, perfumed or not, for promotional means. He also offered limited edition fans during Haute Couture fashion shows. The decorations of the fans might illustrate the notes contained in the fragrance or promote a new product during its launch. The fan is now part of the culture of the House of Dior.
FROM BACKSTAGE TO BOUTIQUE
By modelling its colour counter after the backstage studio of Dior’s trendsetting couture shows, Dior also captures the glamour and excitement of runway shows, the backstage expertise of world-renowned makeup artists, and the latest IT looks from fashion capitals.
A new makeup wall with plasma TV will also excite consumers with the latest footage from the runway, backstage and Dior ambassadors such as Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman.
« Floating Make-up Boards » will present the latest season’s must-haves as well as perennial classics at a glance, with backstage lighting for the most accurate colour assessments, as well as Dior-trained beauty consultants to offer colour and trend advice, and express makeovers. Couture meets beauty in the most luxurious setting possible.
LUXURY SKINCARE ATELIER
Experience cutting-edge skincare and sensorial textures on luxurious pearl grey sofas, which evoke a private atelier-like environment. These exclusive spaces provide for in-depth and private consultation.
Dior continues to combine the best of tradition and modernity for the most luxurious and personal shopping experience. As Monsieur Christian Dior puts it, “This style could in no way detract from or turn our attention from the collection.”
Here are more pictures I took during the press launch:
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