Dior to Open Women’s Accessories Boutique at Brown Thomas in Dublin
LONDON — Dior is setting up shop at Dublin’s landmark department store Brown Thomas, with plans for an in-store women’s accessories boutique to open in the fall.
The new space will be located on the ground floor of the store’s Dublin flagship and will offer handbags including the Lady Dior, Dior Caro and Dior Book Tote; small leather goods; and other designs by Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections.
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A selection of jewelry by Dior Joaillerie artistic director Victoire de Castellane, as well as timepieces, will also be on display.
“This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Brown Thomas,” said the store’s managing director Donald McDonald. “Dior is one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, and this opening signals confidence not only in Brown Thomas, but also in Dublin and Ireland as an exceptional shopping destination.”
Brown Thomas is part of Selfridges Group, and has four stores in Ireland, as well as e-commerce.
As reported earlier this week, de Castellane is launching a new line of abstract, 1970s-flavored watches and jewelry called Gem Dior, featuring patches of various gemstones, and marking the first time the Dior designer has created a watches and jewelry collection together.
“It’s a style that I would describe as abstract-organic,” de Castellane said. The prominent design is de Castellane’s second watch model for the label — and her first abstract style. The D de Dior line, by contrast, features round dials and supple, mesh bracelets.
The new Gem Dior line includes seven watch models with irregular, octagonal faces and clasp-less bracelets, as well as 11 pieces of jewelry — rings, bracelets and earrings that draw inspiration from the geometry of stones.
The brand has also been busy on the retail front. Last month it opened a fourth boutique in Mexico City.
Located at El Palacio de Hierro Santa Fe, the shop-in-shop mixes Louis XVI style with modern, minimalist design. It stocks women’s leather goods, shoes and accessories by Chiuri, as well as men’s ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes and accessories by Kim Jones.
The maison has had ties to Mexico since Christian Dior’s first collection in 1947, which had an evening gown he named “Mexico” in a lemon and lilac pattern.
The relationship between Dior and El Palacio de Hierro began in 1950, when the famous Mexican film actress María Félix used to shop the house’s designs there. In November 1954, six of the Dior Paris models traveled to the department store to present the Dior H line.
The latest boutique is inspired by the Dior Champs-Élysées location, featuring two large entrances framed by gray arches, and on the walls, the classic 18th-century Toile de Jouy developed in the 1940s by interior decorator Victor Grandpierre.
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