Giovanna Engelbert and Markus Langes-Swarovski Host a Sparkling Cocktail Party for the Launch of Book of Dreams, Volume 2

Giovanna Engelbert and Markus Langes-Swarovski Host a Sparkling Cocktail Party for the Launch of Book of Dreams, Volume 2

It was a glittering night in the City of Light. On a gray Parisian evening, after four days of sunshine, Swarovski hosted a launch for its Book of Dreams, Volume 2 in the 17th-century jewel of classical architecture the Hôtel d’Evreux on Paris’s Place Vendôme.

Giant rocks of crystal illuminated the room; there were raw crystal blocks stacked like totem poles (sculptures by contemporary artist Ugo Rondinone) and massive cacti embellished with Swarovski flower brooches, made from the finest polished geometrical cuts. It was a fully immersive experience in which every room of the historical hôtel particulier, built by famed French architect Pierre Bullet, was brought to light with several artist installations—all under the creative direction of Giovanna Engelbert, who has been collaborating with Swarovski for two years.

In one room, surrealist collages by Grillo Demo seemed to spark a conversation with Jose Romussi’s embroidered vintage photographs. In another, larger than life images of fashion icon and muse Mariacarla Boscono, shot by Pierpaolo Ferrari in a beautiful midcentury private residence in Milan, manifested Engelbert’s extravagant vision in a glamorous and playful way. Boscono, who was in attendance and wearing a vivid orange asymmetrical dress encrusted with thousands of crystals, smilingly confessed she was, “incredibly happy with the results.”

This second volume of The Book of Dreams (a limited edition publication with just 1,000 printed copies) reads like an artist’s portfolio—pages are not bound together, but contained within a folder like a mood board, conceived to reveal the infinite possibilities of Swarovski crystals as an inventive and inspirational tool for their clients. “I think crystals have a lot of emotions, it’s an element that brings joy and sparkle. Humans are attracted to light instinctively and so am I . . . as you can see!” said Engelbert, decked out in a full Miu Miu outfit embellished with Swarovski crystals from headband to toe.

The editorial project was art directed by Cabana magazine for the second time and will come out twice a year, featuring a new format every season. “It’s called the Book of Dreams, but it’s more than a book—it’s a platform. In this volume, of course, there is editorial, but we also did things with silk manufactures, with feather manufactures; we did totem sculptures out of rock crystals which we never did before,” said board chairman Markus Langes-Swarovski. “I have to say working with Giovanna is absolutely fantastic and amazing because she has this fun, very surrealistic, obsessive view of beauty, which I think is a perfect match with us at Swarovski,” he added.

Designer Mary Katrantzou, whose creations are featured in the book as a piece of art, spoke of her many collaborations with the brand: “We still work together on every collection, so I feel like I know the Swarovski book by heart, and yet there are always new ways of using the product.” Another designer in attendance was last year’s ANDAM winner of the Accessories Prize, Stéphanie D’Heygere, who was mentored and sponsored by the house, incorporating its crystals in her hoops earrings and a solitaire ring from her latest collection.

Other guests in attendance included Cindy Bruna, Giambattista Valli, Caroline de Maigret, Alexia Niedzielski, Elie Top, Julie de Libran, Michelle Elie, Nadja Swarovski, Nathalie Dufour, Olivier Lalanne, and Ana Khouri, as well as Cabana magazine’s editor in chief, Martina Mondadori Sartogo, and J.J. Martin, who was accompanied by her 5-month-old pug named Pepper.