Simply Abu Dhabi XX

1 2 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I A fter spending 14 years at Chanel designing jewellery, Victoire de Castellane joined the Maison Dior in 1998 as Creative Director. Now her office is the Dior headquarters on Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, a world-renowned street unashamedly dedicated to the finest luxury. Her work is a vivid and ebullient marriage of colour and shape – an imaginative explosion of fantasy-like creations. Her latest triumph is the Soie Dior collection. It is an eye-popping array of high jewellery featuring 53 pieces, priced at between $180,000 and $3 million each. As the Dior Silk title states, the inspiration here is fabrics such as silk and satin; the flowing and rippling textures of sensual textiles are recreated in dramatic fashion in precious metal and gemstone. Picture a ribbon swirling in the wind… de Castellane snatches that image and sketches it, seeking to bring that enigmatic snapshot to life in a stunning piece of high jewellery. Before the piece of jewellery comes into being, de Castellane can see it completed. It’s all there and finished in her mind – every detail, every carefully placed baguette diamond and pink sapphire. The journey commences when de Castellane gives her sketch to her Dior studio designers who make an initial basic line drawing, then a second in gouache for the delicate shades of the stones and subtleties of the materials. On paper the painted colours one will eventually be precious stones. Once everyone is happy with the result the drawing is sent to one of the best ateliers in Paris to make the piece. Unlike fine jewellery, high jewellery is all about extreme opulence. The final pieces are often unique and while some designs may have several iterations made, the attraction here is about how rare these creations are. Soie Dior High Jewellery Collection