Sandra‘s Closet

Dior has some renowned looks that you should consider adding to your wardrobe. The Bar jacket is one of them, an iconic New Look piece, created by Christian Dior in 1947. Reinterpreted by Maria Grazia Chiuri for S/S 2020, it is made from Tussah silk with Dior’s iconic textured houndstooth pattern. I love wearing it with the matching corolla skirt, as presented on the runway. So chic, so feminine and so French …

My look: Houndstooth tussah silk double-breasted bar jacket, and matching
Houndstooth jacquard midi skirt, and rope belt, all by Dior, tweed cap by CHANEL, Kate 100 suede pumps by Christian Louboutin, and Himalaya Niloticus crocodile Birkin bag by Hermès, Love bracelets and Panthère de Cartier Manchette 22mm 18-karat rose gold and diamond watch, all by Cartier.

LoL, Sandra

 Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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Oh, how wonderful spring is! With its bees, flowers, sun and now finally rain, it is my favorite season. One tradition I truly adore is the gifting of lilies of the valley on the first of May as a symbol of springtime and to wish happiness which is very popular in France. In many countries, the first of May is also National Labor Day. As a result, it is a public holiday that we get to enjoy.

My first of May outfit: Lily of the valley-print pussy-bow silk blouse and Lily of the Valley-print pleated silk skirt, both by Valentino

Legend has it that the custom began on May 1, 1561 when King Charles IX received a sprig of the tiny flower as a token of good luck from knight Louis Girard. It is said that whoever finds a lily of the valley with 13 small bells will be particularly lucky.

The king liked the idea so much that he decided to start a tradition and presented a bouquet of lilies of the valley to each of the ladies of his court each year on the same day. And thus began the Fête du Muguet as it is called in France, or May Day.

Christian Dior dedicated his whole Spring 1954 collection to his favorite flower.

The lily of the valley was also Christian Dior’s favorite flower and one of his lucky charms. Faithful to tradition, he offered it each May 1st to all his petites mains and clients. Christian Dior so cherished this spring flower that his florist, Madame Dedeban, grew it for him year-round in a specially heated greenhouse!

The Dior Hommes Fall 2014 collections full of lily of the valley details.

Thus, summer or winter, he was never without a sprig of it in his buttonhole. He also kept some in a finely-wrought box in his pocket. During preparations for his fashion shows, he would ask his petites mains to sew some sprigs of lily of the valley into the hem of a sleeve or a dress. Being the talisman it was, he was also prone to pinning it to the underside of the lapel of the suits worn by his models.

The original Diorissimo bottle of 1956

His beloved flower was also present in his collections each season. He devoted an entire line to it for spring 1954, and, two years later, with Edmond Roudnitska, the couturier realized his dream of capturing its green and floral fragrance. And so, 1956 saw the launch of his third opus, Diorissimo, a triumph of olfactory prowess.

Dior Haute Couture S/S 2016

Lily of the valley has inspired the House’s perfumes and designs ever since, as it did the S/S 2016 haute couture collection. Sprigs of lily of the valley, traced out in beads and sequins, bloomed across a white Bar jacket, the result of over three hundred hours of embroidery.

Kirsten Dunst at the 69th Festival de Cannes in 2016

Later in 2016, at the 69th Festival de Cannes, Kirsten Dunst ascended the famous steps in a white silk gazar Dior haute couture dress embroidered with 300 lily of the valley flowers.

The famous dress Muguet from 1957 was on display at the amazing V&A exhibition «Christian Dior Designer of Dreams»

This special creation was inspired by the dress Muguet, designed by Christian Dior for his S/S 1957 collection in which the flower also blossomed on a dress named Mois de Mai.

Surprise for my daughter today: The beautiful Lucky scent engraved with her name and sign.

In 2018, the Maison launched Lucky as part of their Maison Christian Dior Collection – another fragrance that features lily of the valley, in combination with white flowers and ozonic notes. The nose behind is Francois Demachy, Parfumeur-Créateur Dior, who says:. “Christian Dior was very superstitious and would stitch a stem of lily of the valley into the seam of his dresses for good luck. I wanted to represent the perfume of this hidden lily of the valley, sewn into metres of silk, with a profusion of white flowers and freshness. The scent of his favourite flower gradually reveals itself. Lucky is a good luck charm and the perfume to wear whenever you want to cross your fingers.”

Dior’s new Lily of the Valley china is so beautiful, click here for more infos. 

And last but not least, a very sweet fairytale tells of the affection between the lily of the valley and a nightingale. Once upon a time, every night, the nightingale would come to the garden to sing. However, the lily of the valley was shy and hid herself from the bird. The nightingale was lonely and said he would no longer sing unless the lily of the valley revealed herself, and promised to bloom every May for all to see. And so she does.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dior, Giambattista Valli, Vogue and © Sandra Bauknecht
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Without doubt, one of my absolute favourite collections for F/W 2013 is DIOR. Raf Simons takes the French Maison to new heights with this literally speaking very artistic collection. It is the story of affinities between the founder, Monsieur Christian Dior, and the designer himself.

I have fallen in love with the new looks already on the runway and during my re-see in the showroom during Paris Fashion Week, I have been completely taken by all the beautiful details that I will share with you today.

This season, Raf Simons focuses on this notion of memory and how it shapes the nature of design at the house; how this works for himself and how it once worked for Christian Dior.

“This collection is more connected to passions we share,” says Raf Simons. “Like a real interest in art – Christian Dior started his career as a gallerist and represented both Dali and Giacometti early on. The connection to certain periods of time is also significant, his obsession with the Belle Époque in his case, the Mid-Century modern in mine. Here the connections made are important, the very idea of them rather than what they are made to; the attraction and obsession is the significant part.”

The collection functions in the form of a visual scrapbook, a collage of clothing containing significant moments in time both for Raf Simons and the house of Christian Dior. A Dior coat can function easily alongside a further exploration of the Bar jacket in wool denim, itself teamed with a new take on Oxford bags.

Dior’s iconic houndstooth motif is explored and transposed, emerging frequently as a wool bustier. A notion of asymmetry, begun in the haute couture collection, can be seen throughout, resulting in a abundance of permutations in the silhouettes that can go from short to long in one look. The collection is full of unexpected juxtapositions and visual non sequitur; a free association, like a personal scrapbook, both playful and profound, it embraces idiosyncrasy, culminating in what Simons refers to as “memory dresses.”

Here, a typical twenties shift shape (Think of the The Great Gatsby‘s influence!) is embroidered and appliqued with motifs that point to parts of the personal history of Dior; a Surrealist style free association culminates in these clothes and is up for open interpretation. They also display the new graphic sensibility that is introduced in this collection and permeates throughout. This is most significantly displayed in the unique collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in the collection.

The early hand drawn work from the 1950s of the artist Andy Warhol is found as a recurring motif of the mid-century style printed or embroidered on the clothing and accessories.

“For me Warhol made so much sense,” says Simons of this collaboration. “I was interested in the delicacy and sensitivity in the early work he did, I was drawn to that graphic style naturally in this collection. It was that notion of hand work and personal signature that fitted throughout.”

These notions of Surrealism and Pop are brought together in the dreamscape of the show set. As a Magritte-style cloud path meanders around the gigantic mirrored spheres of the space, the mix of memory and desire in the collection is brought to dream-like culmination.

Below, you can enjoy some of the accessories that are to die for. The embroidered boots are definitely on my must-have shopping list.

Dior’s amazing F/W 2013 collection will hit the stores aproximately end of August, beginning of September 2013. If I have whetted your appetite for some serious shopping, you should have a look at the house’s extremely beautiful Pre-fall 2013 collection which has started to arrive.

A collection which shows the new juxtapositions in perfection: a billowing very couture-like skirt that is tied at the waist and reaching to the floor in back is paired with a cashmere-silk knit tee (see collage below to the right) or a sort of wool fabric belt that elevates the look to a new level of style. I imagine Raf’s casual glamour will become his signature. One thing is for sure, we will see more and more Dior on the streets and the house jacket will be identifiable everywhere. Personally speaking, I am madly in love! My collection for the upcoming season!

LoL, Sandra

Runway photos: Courtesy of Dior, Showroom pictures: © Sandra Bauknecht