Daddario and Dior, Auctioning Karl in Paris, Prince Louis Turns Five

DIOR ADORES DADDARIO: Dior has named its newest ambassador.

Actress Alexandra Daddario, of “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” “White Lotus” and “True Detective” fame, has been named an ambassador for Dior women’s fashion, as well as the La Collection Privée fragrance collection.

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A statement from the brand said, “Alexandra will partner with the house, celebrating the designs and creations of women’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri and supporting Dior Beauty in the fragrance category, specifically La Collection Privée Christian Dior.”

That collection includes Gris Dior, which, as reported, just unveiled a campaign including Jenna Ortega, Thuso Mbedu, Maya Hawke, Joseph Quinn, Fai Khadra, Liu Yuxin and Orelsan. Gris Dior is considered to be the pillar of the collection, as reported.

Earlier this month, the brand held a pop-up around the fragrance, which featured works of art by Andrés Reisinger, Thomas Trum, Mileece and Collectif Scale.

Though the partnership with Daddario is newly formalized, it isn’t her first time working with the brand. She wears Dior regularly, including at Gris Dior’s The Grey Zone opening event in Los Angeles, as well as the premiere of her show “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” and to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. She also attended the brand’s women’s fashion show in Paris in February.

Both beauty and fashion divisions of Dior’s parent company, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, have logged double-digit growth. For the quarter ending March 31, the fashion and leather goods division grew 18 percent; perfumes and cosmetics swelled 10 percent.

The house’s beauty operations are also under new stewardship. Last month, LVMH revealed that Véronique Courtois, previously chief executive officer at Guerlain, would helm the brand, succeeding Laurent Kleitman. This follows the appointment of Delphine Arnault as CEO of the overall brand, who took on the role on Feb. 1, while her predecessor Pietro Beccari became CEO of Louis Vuitton. — JAMES MANSO

COCO NUTS: Waiters in white ponytails and dark glasses ferried Champagne on trays Wednesday night in Paris as online resale specialist Collector Square unveiled an array of items designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld over his 30-plus years helming Chanel.

The handbag-heavy sale includes classic quilted styles, and more whimsical items, including a nifty life preserver satchel from the beach-y spring 2019 Chanel collection; a milk carton minaudière from the fall 2014 collection bearing the words “Lait de Coco,” and a sequined army rucksack from the Coco Cuba cruise collection paraded in Havana back in 2016.

One of the priciest items is a limited-edition Coco Chanel Bearbrick at 98,000 euros. Under Lagerfeld, Chanel was the first luxury fashion house to create one of the Japanese figurines resembling futuristic bears.

Osanna Orlowski, cofounder of Collector Square, said Chanel items by Lagerfeld are “very sought after,” and she marveled at his “incredible capacity” to animate classic styles with new fabrications and decorative motifs, and to dream up whimsical items like beach rackets or checkerboards, also part of the online sale.

Meanwhile, auction house Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is gearing up for a sale on April 27 titled “L’Art du Luxe: Chanel.” Its 350 lots include one of Lagerfeld’s iconic scuba-style Chanel jackets from the spring 1991 collection, and a wide selection of designs across his entire tenure, from 1983 until he died in 2019.

Unusual lots include an aluminum bike from 2008 featuring a quilted leather seat. It’s estimated to fetch between 12,000 euros and 15,000 euros.

There are also designs dating from founder Gabrielle Chanel, Philippe Guibourgé and Virginie Viard, who succeeded Lagerfeld as creative director.

Interest in all things Lagerfeld is flourishing on the eve of the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition opening on May 5 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. — MILES SOCHA

ROYAL FIVE: A royal birthday.

A new photograph of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s youngest son, Prince Louis, has been released to celebrate his fifth birthday, where he’s in a wheelbarrow laughing with his mother at the Windsor Estate.

The Princess of Wales, out of focus, is wearing an Erdem Breton sweater with her head slightly back to the camera. She first wore the sweater in 2021.

The young prince wears a blue wool fair isle sweater from British brand Lallie London’s fall 2021 collection, which retails for 75 pounds and is only available for preorder. The sweater features autumnal designs by the collar and was knitted in Scotland.

He wears blue chino shorts with navy socks and loafers while smiling into the distance.

Blue has become a family favorite color — the Waleses all gathered in shades of blue at Windsor Castle on April 9 for the first Easter Sunday appearance since Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

On the British morning show “This Morning,” TV presenter Alison Hammond revealed that she asked the princess if she was going to wear blue and the response was, “There is a hint of blue.”

British photographer Millie Pilkington shot the prince and his mother. The Waleses children are often photographed by the Princess of Wales, a passionate photographer.

However, this small change ahead of King Charles III’s coronation could signal Middleton’s seniority as she steps up to become the future queen — separating her stateswoman image and her private life.

Another photograph was released earlier in the week to celebrate the late queen’s 97th birthday, where she was surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with the exception of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children, at Balmoral taken by the Princess of Wales.

Prince Louis, who is fourth in line to the throne, will join his siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the king’s coronation on May 6. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED

SUMMER CAPSULE: Jacquemus and Saks have teamed for a capsule collection, “Été” (French for summer) — unveiled just in time for the season ahead.

The line is available exclusively on Saks.com and at Saks Fifth Avenue stores in New York and Beverly Hills.

“We are thrilled to partner with Jacquemus to launch this exclusive capsule collection and bring it to life in a big way at our Beverly Hills store,” Tracy Margolies, chief merchandising officer at Saks, told WWD in a statement. “Jacquemus’ unique aesthetic and innovative approach to design have put the brand at the forefront of luxury fashion, and we know both our men’s and women’s customers will resonate with this limited-edition collection that exudes confidence and effortless elegance. At Saks, we always strive to deliver newness and fashion our customers can’t find anywhere else from the most sought-after names in luxury.”

Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills is showcasing a special Jacquemus window display and in-store installation. Created by design studio Perron-Roettinger, the store facade is up through May 3, while the in-store visuals are on view through May 18.

The limited-edition collection is an ode to the French Riviera — often a source of inspiration for designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, who grew up in the small town of Mallemort in southern France. He offers both women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, with handbags and hats, in canary yellow and his signature earth tones.

Saks fashion director Roopal Patel and Jacquemus chief executive officer Bastien Daguzan hosted a dinner at Flamingo Estate in Los Angeles on Thursday night to celebrate the launch. The event brought out Christine Quinn, Benito Skinner, Amelia Gray, Rickey Thompson and Bretman Rock. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE

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