Bold & Beautiful
The Wonderful World of Victoire De Castellane
By Yasmine Shihata
Dec 2006

At Dior, all that glitters is Victoire De Castellane, the fabulous ad flamboyant creator of their fine jewellery collections.  In Pairs, Yasmine Shihata meets the woman behind the sparkle.

from under her poker-straight Cleopatra-style fringe, her almond-shaped brown eyes are twinkling as she beams a huge smile. Victoire herself is only adorned with a huge gold ring, embracing an equally large stone (one of her own designs of course). A photograph pinned on the wall taken one hot summer shows Victoire at the age of perhaps 10, with the same haircut, the same impish grin and smiling eyes. It is since then that she has been intrigued by gems and played with the jewels that belonged to her grandmother, the elegant Sylvia Hennessy. "My grandmother’s best friend was Barbara Hutton. One day, my mother took me to see Barbara. She was at the end of her life but she looked fabulous in a kaftan and big jewels. I was just transfixed and jewellery became my first passion,” reminisces De Castellane.

With her aristocratic lineage and creative imagination, De Castellane's first experiments with jewellery began early. "At the age of five, I took the pliers to one of my grandmother's bracelets. They called me a monster, but I was addicted," says De Castellane, who, by the age of 12, had melted down all of her religious medallions.

Hardly surprising, then, that De Castellane became Chanel's costume-jewellery designer, working with Karl Lagerfeld for 14 years. "It was an incredible experience," she exclaims. "I learnt that it's important to have your own personality, to be yourself, not to be serious. Working at Chanel was fun. I was very happy and Karl showed me how to create with total freedom."

Described as being original to the point of eccentricity, Victoire brings confidence and flair to her carefree, irreverent and deliciously whimsical designs. Before joining Dior in 1998, she gained tremendous success during her years at Chanel. Then in a huge turning point in her career, Victoire was seduced away from Lagerfeld’s team by Bernard Arnault (President of the LVMH Group) to be the designer for Dior’s new Fine Jewellery department. 

Of course the transition from costume jewellery to fine jewellery meant that Victoire was now part of the most exclusive and lucrative part of haute couture: haute joillairie. And at a time when luxury-goods brands are finding it hard to retain the notion of luxury - as their goods include everything from the easily affordable (lipsticks and perfume) to the highly ridiculous (monogrammed Ipod cases and dog baskets) and their designs are ripped off on daily basis - their unique items now have the utmost importance. Thus every luxury brand worth its salt is creating that which is beyond most people's budget, can't be copied by the high street: fine jewellery. But forget the stuffiness of aristocratic inheritance, because labels such as Dior are helping to give serious rocks a not-so-serious dose of creativity. And nobody does it better than Victoire de Castellane, Dior Joaillerie’s creative director for the past eight years.

While other designers might have left their childhood fantasies behind when they started dealing with stones worth thousands of dollars, for Victoire this only meant that her designs would shine brighter. "Who said that real jewels have to be boring?" asks De Castellane as she sips her water. "I prefer huge coloured stones instead of diamonds. And I like to wear and design big things that look fake; like costume jewellery, but real."

Yet De Castellane's obsession with size isn't so much about status as about making a bold statement. Humorous, feminine and theatrical, De Castellane's creations are a wake up call to the classic and conservative world of fine jewellery.

So, is there any difference between creating costume and real jewellery? "No. Absolutely not! The only thing that changes is the value. It's the same process of creation, and at Dior, I forget that I'm working with real stones."

So where does this creative diva get her inspiration? "I'm inspired by Tony Duquette," enthuses De Castellane. "He was a really eccentric decorator
of Hollywood movies in the Fifties. He had an incredible house in LA
with coral embedded in the walls and
Chinese pagodas in the garden. I love the idea of old Hollywood...because it is very dramatic and artificial."

Dramatic but, alas, not artificial, De Castellane's jewellery has found a home at Dior, where John Galliano, the maverick maestro of Dior's collections, is a kindred spirit. "I have two themes of inspiration from Dior," says De Castellane. "The couture theme, with bows, ribbons and extravagant creations; and Monsieur Dior's garden."

As well as being a great couturier, Monsieur Dior was a country-lover who is remembered for his garden at his residence at Milly-la-Foret, near Fontainebleau. Using his garden as an inspiration, De Castellane has created many pieces inspired by flowers and nature.

"I love nature, in jewellery and in life. Flowers die in two days, but with jewellery, they last forever," says De Castellane, excitedly. “I like to create jewellery which is affordable and creative. I can't be ashamed of what I do. It has to have integrity." She hates the idea of fine jewellery being locked up in vaults, and claims that the modern woman wants fine jewellery that is fun and wearable, for day or night. Women should wear jewellery just because they love it!”

Of course like any great artist, de Castellane passions and tastes influence her work. As she confesses “my designs are completely a part of my personality. The truth is I design things I like; I design just for me."

The day I met de Castellane she was about to go to the launch party for the exposition of her work at Christian Dior Fine jewellery in one of Paris’s most exclusive department stores ‘Le Bon Marche’. An exposition of one’s work on such a large scale is a true honour for any artist, but de Castellane takes it all in her stride. “I’m happy to show people my world and my inspiration, but its just a moment in life: I’m enjoying it but I know tomorrow is another day.”

So do Arab women have the flair for de Castellane’s designs? “Arab women are now some of my best clients; at the beginning they were a bit shocked by my designs but now they buy large pieces with precious stones, showing that they are confidant in Dior’s Fine Jewellery. And they love the fact that many of my pieces are one of a kind.”

When asked what she has planned for her next collection, de Castellane gives me a wry smile, “It’s a secret”, she says. “ But I can tell you it’s going to be really creative! It’s a story with feminine touches that is related to nature, but very bold and unique.”

Creative, feminine, bold and unique? We wouldn’t expect anything else Victoire…

Dior Fine Jewellery is now available in Dior Boutiques in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Paris and London.